Break the chains
by midnightshadowmaster
Summary: The summer before his sixth year, Harry receives a letter that changes everything, from his schooling to his friendships and love life. SLASH.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry groaned as he woke up. Everything hurt, and, not for the first time, he cursed Dumbledore under his breath. He still didn't understand why he had to come back to the Dursleys to be treated like a slave. He glanced at the clock. 3:02 am.

By now, he had learned that going back to bed wasn't really an option. His 'dear' Aunt Petunia would wake him up at four thirty, or five if he was lucky, and it had become increasingly difficult to fall asleep, even when everything was quiet. He couldn't distract himself with writing to Ron or Hermione, because neither was answering his letters. Harry felt alone, abandoned, in a way he had never felt before, even when he grew up with his hateful relatives.

He was going to start his sixth year, and, to be honest, he just wanted to die right now.

Around 3 pm, Harry and his aunt were startled (Harry was surprised while his aunt shrieked, of course) when a red-tailed hawk flew into the kitchen, with a letter addressed to him. He decided to ignore, for the first time, the threat of a pan, and took the letter, quickly leaving the house. He didn't recognize the handwriting, but it was way better than his chicken scrawls, that was for sure.

It was from Draco Malfoy, or at least from a Malfoy, judging by the seal pressed into the gas. Odd. He frowned, but instead of burning it right away, curiosity took the better of him, and opened it quickly.

_'Lord Potter-Black,_

_We have never been close, and we have insulted each other on a daily basis, maybe me more than you, but I have no one else to turn to. My family is in danger. Voldemort is not happy with how my father has worked. Or, better said, failed him. Believe it or not, none of us wanted him back, and all my father wanted was our safety. During the first war, his solution was taking the Mark. As you can probably guess, it did not turn out well. I cannot promise we will fight for your side. We still do not agree with several things your side has done and we want wizarding traditions to remain, but maybe we can discuss that at a later moment. We need protection against him, and with you being Lord Potter-Black, I thought you could provide that protection. My mother is Narcissa Malfoy née Black, and she still belongs to the family._

_I have no right to ask this from you, I am well aware, but you are currently the only one with the power to save us. I do not wish to be forced to take the Mark. If we do not leave in time, Voldemort will kill us all when he finds out that our allegiances do not lie with him anymore. We are willing to do anything you ask from us, at least to the extent that it does not result in a situation similar to which we could have with him._

_Please, answer as soon as you are able,_

_Draco Malfoy_

_Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy_

_P.S. Attach your response to Frois, she will wait for it unless you tell her you will not answer'_

Harry frowned at the letter, but decided to help. Call it his hero complex, but Malfoy seemed scared about what could happen to his family. There was also the issue about how he addressed him. Lord Potter-Black. When had he become a Lord?

He darted into the house, ignoring his aunt and her threats once again, and, to his not-surprise, Frois had made herself comfortable in Hedwig's perch. Hedwig, much to his pain, had tried to help in the fight at the Department of Mysteries, and, along with Sirius, had gone into the veil. He didn't even know how she had managed to get into the Ministry.

_'Malfoy (or Heir Malfoy),_

_I'm not totally sure about how to address you. I've never been addressed as a Lord before, and your letter was terribly formal due to my title. It sounds odd, to be honest, and if I'll help you, I would prefer it if you just called me 'Harry'._

_About your request, I honestly have no reason to decline, seeing as how I'm sure you exhausted all other options before asking for my help. If you want, call it my hero complex Remus talks so much about. Your family will be safe, and I could provide the protection you need, only I would need you to tell me exactly what power I have for doing so. I can't invite you to my house. I live with my muggle Aunt and Uncle and my cousin, and they hate magic with a passion. I'm aware that Sirius left me Grimmauld Place so I could go live there, but apparently it does not have the blood wards Dumbledore swears are protecting me from Voldemort, so it's currently unused. If you explain how I can fix my situation, I'll be glad to have you and your family living with me there._

_I would expect the insulting to stop. I have not participated much, especially since fourth year, because, as you can probably guess, I've had other things on my mind, mainly trying to survive. If the animosity stops, I'm sure we can become friends. The hat did want to put me in Slytherin._

_I will be expecting your answer,_

_Harry Potter_

_(I'm not sure yet about the Lordship thing)_

_P.S. My owl, Hedwig, died at the Department of Mysteries. She was caught in the crossfire. I'm afraid I'll need you to keep communicating with me through Frois. She's beautiful, by the way. I didn't know we could use hawks as messengers as well'_

"Hey, Frois. What do you like? I have some dry bacon over here", Harry said, feeding the hawk, who happily took the strip, "Are you feeling good enough to deliver this to Draco?", the hawk screeched softly, looking at the envelope, and doing some sort of nod to indicate that she was fit for flying again. Frois finally took the envelope, and took off.

His uncle beat him with Dudley, because Petunia had, of course, complained about how Harry had avoided his chores and her threats to his physical integrity. He took it as he always did. Silently.

His answer came the next day.

_'Harry,_

_Thank you for your kindness. We are all aware we are indebted to you, as we have never done anything that would deserve your favor, individually or as a family._

_My father is rather concerned about your lack of knowledge about your Lordship on both Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Potter and Black. My mother suggested we meet at Gringotts to look into it. This approach will also be useful so you can decide for yourself if we are trustworthy, since we will be in public, instead of you just trusting my word. We can meet tomorrow in Diagon Alley at Florean Fortescue's, at eight o'clock in the morning. It will be a long day, so being early will be necessary._

_I am sorry about your owl. I saw her several times, and she was beautiful. You will need to get a new one. This is not because owls do not matter, but because having a messenger familiar is important for a wizard, especially a Lord. My parents and I are willing to help you choose one. It could be a different breed, so as to not bring bad memories back, if you want, or even a different species. You mentioned that you did not know about wizards being able to use hawks. We can also use eagles, and, as a matter of fact, my family has owls, hawks and eagles. If you want, you can see them before making a decision on which species you will choose from._

_If Frois needs to rest, I will send Talik, a golden eagle, so do not be surprised by him._

_Thank you again, and we will await you answer,_

_Draco Malfoy_

_Heir to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Malfoy'_

Harry scribbled his response quickly, and with the best handwriting he could make.

_'I'll be there tomorrow, and thank you_

_Harry'_

* * *

SOOOO... hey there! I'm back. This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Had to increase some doses for medication (doctor's orders!). Everything's fine for now. And just about two months ago we found out my mom has cancer in her thyroid, but aside from the initial worry, we've been okay and she's having the thyroid removed in a couple of weeks, and it's supposed to end there (of course she will have to take hormones and have check-ups, but that really is the least of our problems with all this).

Anyway, I will confess I started this fic nearly a year ago, and I finally got around actually dividing it in chapters and uploading it. And, well, finishing it. I've been changing some details, but the upload of the entire thing should be done in a couple of days. I actually do not have a beta, so I do all my reviewing, all mistakes are mine. I did this for my own amusement, but I hope whoever is reading this enjoys it! . The only characters that are mine will appear later on, and it will be rather obvious.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

The next day, he was already up at two in the morning, but he felt oddly energetic. He was going to meet Draco Malfoy and his parents, to provide them protection, and to learn about his Lordships. It was weird. Since Sirius' and Hedwig's death, and with constant nightmares, he was ready to kill himself. This was the first thing he was looking forward to in a long time, even before the events of his fourth year. He was more than just happy to leave this house, even if it was just a day. He was going to enjoy this, no matter how it would be a lot of business things in Gringotts.

Maybe this would change his life for the better.

He took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron at three, not wanting to risk his relatives waking up and forcing him to remain unconscious with beatings. No, he would not risk it. Rather happily and gratefully, he took a hot chocolate in the Leaky Cauldron, it relaxed him a bit as he went through the To-Do list he had jotted down. Well, it looked informal, and probably more like a quick supermarket list, but it helped.

_'To-Do_

_1\. Meet with Draco and his parents at Florean Fortescue's. Talk a bit with them._

_2\. Go to Gringotts with them and learn about the Lordships I have._

_3\. Invite them for lunch._

_4\. Probably keep working on the Lordships._

_5\. Get a messenger familiar (owl, hawk or eagle?)._

_6\. Go to the Dursley's and get all my things, go to Grimmauld._

_7\. Dinner, try to get some sleep.'_

That covered what he thought they would be doing today. The two last things, he wasn't so sure. He didn't know how difficult or how easy would it be for him to leave the Dursley's for good. He had managed to sneak out a bit to the park under the Order's watch, and today to the Leaky Cauldron (he still wasn't sure how), but would it be too obvious if he suddenly wasn't living there anymore?

Well, obviously, it would be evident, but what would they do?

He asked Tom for a room, for a couple of hours to rest, and he agreed to wake him up again at seven so he could get ready.

While he was waiting, he was observing the people there. No one had recognized him so far. He had made sure to hide his scar the best he could. Fortescue had been kind enough to agree to lead the Malfoys towards him when they arrived. He was currently the only one really aware of Harry's presence in his shop.

At a quarter to eight, the blond family walked in. They weren't scowling or watching everything disdainfully, but they were still elegant, and held themselves with dignity, pride and confidence. Harry envied them a bit. They were able to mask their emotions, while he had always had a hard time even sleeping or controlling his thoughts.

Draco approached Fortescue, who led them to where Harry was silently watching everything. He stood when the blond family was close, and extended his hand for Draco to shake it. It seemed ironic, and the raven noticed that Draco thought the same as he shook his hand. It was warm, and firm.

"Thank you for agreeing to see us", Draco spoke.

"Thank you for informing me about my... uh... Lordships, I guess. But don't be too formal. I'm terrible at being formal", Harry said, almost spluttering out. The three Malfoys smiled.

"We've noticed", Draco mentioned, amusement in his words, but not malice, "Do you want to head to Gringotts right away?"

"I would like to hear a bit of your side of the story first. To be honest, the only side I know is Dumbledore's. We still have about ten minutes. I most certainly want to know better the three people that I'll be in charge of. Wow, that sounds weird, I'm never in charge of anything. Anyway... uh... start, please?"

Lucius, despite everything, seemed amused, and Narcissa looked at him warmly. This time, Lucius spoke. He told Harry how his family, as well as Narcissa's, was always considered dark because of their usage of rituals and their intense desire to maintain traditions, which was hard when muggleborns thought they knew better and introduced whatever they pleased into their world, with no control over it. When Voldemort was rising, he had a more political agenda, and not an aggressive one. He wanted to regulate everything, and that gained him followers with purebloods. Of course, the 'dark creatures' were also included into the new policies in order for them to be able to live as a normal wizard, having jobs, and not being cast-outs. This point was especially interesting for Harry, thinking of Remus.

However, the promising political career was ruined by Dumbledore, who claimed that Voldemort, then known as Tom Riddle, was another Dark Lord rising, and was claiming the blood of many muggle born witches and wizards and their muggle family. It was how the first war with Voldemort had developed. The Dark Lord didn't trust easily, and, so, the Mark came up. Eventually, he began losing his mind. The duels between him and Dumbledore and his followers was slowly driving him crazy. The Unforgivables weren't even illegal back then, especially at war, and both sides used them to protect themselves. Bellatrix had been driven insane, and that was how she ended up torturing Neville's parents like she did and killing her own cousin.

"You never took the mark, Lady Malfoy?" Harry inquired.

"No", Narcissa answered, looking at her husband with loving and sad eyes, "Lucius did everything in his power for me not to have it burned on my arm"

Harry nodded.

"I'm glad you told me all this. I was never made aware of politics having to do with the war. I always thought that Voldemort was just killing because he liked it... and this changes things", Harry stood, "Let's go to Gringotts. I'm seeing this will be a long day"

Harry managed to make some small talk with Draco on the way to the bank, mainly about Quidditch.

"You honestly are insane. You pull of such tricks I'm curious as how are you still alive", the blond said.

"I have good reflexes, I guess, so I remain... mostly intact"

"Yeah, right, like when Lockhart managed to make your bones disappear"

"Skelegrow helped, though it tastes terrible. Besides, he's insane now, so he got a payback, I guess"

They entered the bank, and some goblins watched them with curiosity. Lucius headed to an important-looking goblin.

"Master Strongrock, good morning. May you win your battles and have flowing gold", he saluted, "May we see Master Ragnok?"

"Right away. May your gold flow, Lord Malfoy", he said. After a few seconds, he walked back with an even more important-looking goblin, at least to Harry's eyes, if that was even possible.

"Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Malfoy Heir, and..." he seemed confused, "Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to see you. Let's go to my office to discuss whatever you need"

The five walked to Ragnok's office. It was big, and it was elegant, but was still simple. He had a lot of curious trinkets that caught Harry's attention, but the younger boy fought to remain focused.

"I'm afraid, Master Goblin Ragnok, that Mr. Potter here has not been informed of his status as Lord Potter-Black. I was hoping that you could clear some things for us on that matter?"

"Are you really not aware? How did you know?"

"Heir Malfoy wrote me a letter addressing me formally. I had no idea why he wrote like that, I just guessed he was talking, or, well, writing, as purebloods write", Harry admitted.

"So the neglect has not been intentional", Ragnok seemed both relieved and frustrated, an odd combination, and "Who is your magical guardian?"

"Who's my what?"

"You lived with muggles, right? You have to have a magical guardian, for them to help you in the wizarding world"

"Well... I guess, but... I was never told... I mean, I thought Sirius was my guardian, he was my godfather, but before him I didn't know I even had to have one", Harry admitted.

Ragnok started taking files out.

"Your parents' will was apparently never read. Your magical guardian decided for you to be of age until you could see your inheritance"

"I was shown to the Potter vault on the first year, as far as I know"

"Trust fund, not the real vault, Lord Potter-Black", Ragnok said, "According to this, Albus Dumbledore is your magical guardian, but, apparently, hasn't done his duties", the goblin was upset as he kept reading files, and Harry cursed mentally, again, "Do you authorize your parents' will to be read now?"

"What? Of course!" Harry said.

"A drop of your blood will be necessary", Ragnok said. Harry didn't even blink when Ragnok punctured his finger for him to drop blood on the sealed parchment.

_'Last Wishes of Lord James Charlus Potter and Lady Lily Danielle Potter née Evans_

_October the 28th, 1981_

_Harrison James Potter is to inherit all the properties belonging to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, which include:_

_Five Manors in the United States of America, in the following cities: Washington D.C., New York City, Houston, Napa Valley, and Bismarck_

_Four Manors in Canada, in the following cities: Calgary, Montréal, Toronto, and St. John's_

_Three Manors in the following countries' capitals: Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala_

_Three Manors in Australia, in the following cities: Perth, Darwin, and Melbourne_

_The Manors in the following European cities: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Cádiz, Segovia, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Bourges, Colmar, Avignon, Sparta, Delphi, Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Patmos, Warsaw, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Minsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bucharest, Zagreb, Vienna, Prague, Bern, Rome, Palermo, Venice, Florence, Naples, Sofia, Dublin, Oslo, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam._

_Manors in the United Kingdom: Belfast, London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Liverpool._

_Businesses:_

_Levans (Pharmaceutical, and Medical)_

_Stag Industries_

_Potter International_

_Potter-Black Incorporated_

_Begonia Krammer Magical Zoo and Reserve for Magical Creatures_

_Shares:_

_Gistan Brooms_

_Saturnae Heirloom_

_Other vaults and properties Harrison James Potter is the rightful heir to:_

_House of Potter_

_House of Gryffindor (by marriage)_

_House of Peverell_

_House of Slytherin (by marriage)_

_House of Blackburn (by conquest)_

_House of Schwarzbalderen_

_House of Deuer (by conquest)_

_In case neither of us is able to take care of him, he is to go under the care of Sirius Orion Black, his godfather, immediately._

_In case he is not available, the other people we trust to care for him are:_

_Remus Lyall Lupin_

_Theodore Tonks and Andromeda Tonks née Black_

_Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom née Kingston_

_Charlus Fabius Potter and Elaine Pauline Potter née Delacroix (living in Avignon, France)_

_Alastair Rothschild and Annika Rothschild née Krammer (living in Munich, Germany)_

_Leon Rodolphus Gallagher and Marianne Gallagher née Médici (living in Calgary, Canada)_

_He is to be raised as the Heir he is, with all the traditions of the pureblood society to which he belongs to._

**_Under no circumstances is Harrison James Potter to socialize with Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley née Evans._**

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is not entitled to control any of Harrison James Potter's life, economics or powers. This right belongs to Sirius Orion Black, Remus Lyall Lupin, or someone from the guardians we have chosen. Even with this, they will not be entitled to monetary retribution for their help in raising our son, unless he voluntarily and in all his right senses decides to give it._

_To Sirius Orion Black, we leave guardianship of Harrison James Potter, our only son and heir, as well as the amount of 500,000 galleons. You and Remus are our best friends, Sirius, and we love you dearly. However, if you dare to make my son another Marauder, I will personally haunt you._

_To Remus Lyall Lupin is to receive automatic guardianship in case Sirius Orion Black is unavailable, and the amount of 600,000 galleons, as well as our home in Godric's Hollow and the cottage in Schwarzwald, Germany. We know you love nature, and this forest is magical, which will help you, Remus. Please keep Sirius in check so he doesn't feed Harry only with treacle tart._

_To Frank and Alice Longbottom, we leave the amount of 100,000 galleons, and the magical African glassware set. We know you could have been us, and you are one of our closest friends._

_To the Order of the Phoenix members, save from Albus Dumbledore, we leave 10,000 galleons to each family, so you can keep going in difficult times._

_This is the last will of James Charlus Potter and Lily Danielle Potter née Evans'_

Harry was shocked, to say the least.

"This... this thing was never... they... he had no right to...", his anger started rising, and magic started cracking around him as he stared at the words in that will.

"Lord Potter!" Ragnok called, slightly scared, but impressed by the young wizard's power. Harry looked at him, his emerald eyes shining dangerously, "We need you to calm down!" Harry blinked, and slowly relaxed, but his eyes were still storming.

"Was this will ever executed, Master Ragnok?"

"I'm afraid not"

"Of course not. Dumbledore could not afford me knowing about this world. Ignorant. Always", Harry replied dryly, "I have never met any of these people, save from Sirius and Remus. And with Sirius gone..." he closed his eyes, but opened them full of determination, "Master Ragnok, if it won't be a problem, will you please check all the movements of my vaults? Trust fund or the real one. All the vaults. And properties. I want to know what has been done to them, because I doubt they would keep their hands to themselves"

Ragnok nodded, and started rummaging through even more files.

"We will need a Healer, though", Narcissa suddenly said, and Harry looked at her, confused.

"Why?"

"Dear, your entire line has had strong, tall men. You can't possibly expect me to think you can naturally be this scrawny. I know you have muscle because you play Quidditch, but there is no way you can fool anyone who really knew your parents"

"But Sirius, Remus... they never mentioned anything..."

"Lord Black, rest in peace, did come here to request a full check-up not too long ago. However, before we could proceed, the events that ended in his death took place", Ragnok sighed, "We can do it today, though, if you want. We can contact our best Healers"

"Just... what will they check upon?"

"Everything that has happened to you since your birth, including blocks on any kind of magic or abilities you may have. Any more questions?"

"I'm following so far", Harry muttered. A group of around four goblins entered, they had what looked to be a Healer's uniform, and, judging by their equipment, they were just that.

"We will need Lord Potter-Black to lay on his back", one said, "This will take a while"

Harry fell asleep immediately.

* * *

When he woke up, he looked at the clock. It had been four hours, and he was aware that he had been unconscious more than asleep, but he was still exhausted. His limbs hurt a bit, but he felt oddly comfortable at the same time. He noticed the Malfoy family was sitting there, talking with the goblins.

"What exactly happened?" he said. He was aware it was he that had talked, but his voice was deeper, stronger.

"I knew you weren't scrawny", Narcissa smiled, softly running her fingers through his hair, "And I think your hair is black due to your father, but the barely-there waves are definitely your mother's. You were handsome, but now you truly look like a heartbreaker that will have all the girls fawning over him"

"I'm not quite comfortable with that kind of attention coming from girls", Harry mumbled.

"What?" Draco cocked an eyebrow, "Cho? And the Weasley girl? You took one of the Patil twins, right, to Yule Ball?"

"Well, yes. And I kind of shared a kiss with Chang", Harry emphasized her last name, "And Ginny, well, I thought she was like a little sister. And Patil was my last chance at actually getting a date. It was that or being the lonesome champion. Skeeter would've a field day with that", he snorted, "I was actually more interested in checking Cedric out, or Bill and Charlie, do you know how hot they are? Anyway, I'm the 'hero', so I'm supposed to get a girl and live a happy life, or something like that"

"Well, looking for an appropriate wizard to settle down with will probably supply someone with more brains, don't you think?" Draco smirked.

"Yes. I do hope he wants to have kids, we'll have to adopt but..."

"Adopt?"

"Both men?" Harry frowned.

"See? This is why muggleborns are not fit to make changes. They don't understand magic", Narcissa sighed, "Harry, most wizards are able to carry children. They even tend to be more powerful than average wizarding babies. However, as you know, it's more common to have witches get pregnant, so it's an ability not used much in men. And then muggleborns brought their views here, and since the muggle men are not able to have children, it's not 'natural' when the wizards get pregnant. What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to give up having your own biological children because of your attraction to men"

"Oh, thank Merlin", Harry smiled, "So... what exactly was the diagnostic? I feel different, actually"

"You had a part of Voldemort's soul inside. The goblins transferred it to an object and then destroyed it. You also had several blocks on your magic that got placed when you were six. Dumbledore put them there, apparently. You are an incredibly powerful wizard. Judging by your grades in school, one might not think so, but considering you were facing dangers through all of them, you were brilliant enough to pass everything. You can test for your OWLs again in the Ministry. If you wish, my father can help you with the paperwork, too. You have six animal forms, and have Metamorphomagus abilities as well, which in itself shows just how powerful you are", Draco listed off, "Now, about going back to Hogwarts..." he hesitated, looking at his parents.

"What?"

"Well, we would suggest you don't go back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore will not like that you are no longer under his influence, and that you are able to live up to your potential"

"But this will be my sixth year, and I would have to get the NEWTs done next year, how...?"

"We are also worried about Draco's safety there. There are some Death Eater's children that will not be happy about our current situation", Narcissa said softly, "The only ones we can currently count as friends are Evangelina Zabini, her son Blaise, and yourself, Harry. Evangelina belongs to a family that has remained neutral for hundreds of years, and her son is like her in that way. He and Draco have been close since they were little. Eve is transferring Blaise to Stromorth Institute of Arcane Magicks. We had thought about sending Draco there too, if you are willing to let him go there"

Harry hesitated.

"Could I go there too?"

"Of course, if you want. Is everything okay?"

"I'm not quite sure of how... everything... this... will work out. Master Ragnok? Dumbledore won't be able to find us in Grimmauld, right?"

"Lord Potter, I'm afraid that the goblins will have to make sure of that, and it could take several weeks. I'm aware you wanted to leave your current Muggle guardians' care as soon as possible, so my suggestion is that you move into one of your properties", the goblin said.

"Wouldn't the Ministry be notified if I do magic, though?"

"No. You are currently considered of age by the law, and by magic. You participated, and won, the Triwizard Tournament. Since you had to be of age, your status changed automatically as soon as you entered the tournament. Also, since you have claimed both of your lordships, you are exempt of the regulations for minors"

"I see. Which property would you suggest we go to, Ragnok?" Harry asked softly, looking again at the list. Ragnok was visibly surprised, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Wizards don't usually ask for help from us. You are not only powerful, but fair and kind to others. No one treated us as equals this way", he said. Harry smiled shyly.

"Thank you", he muttered, "Eh... uh... where do you think...?"

"Stromorth is located in the Black Forest. It is not commonly known, and the school is even more warded than Hogwarts. People can only get inside if they are allowed to, directly by the school. Parents usually have no problem getting in, but the school would know if, say, Dumbledore, tried to get in to get you back under his control, Lord Potter, so he would not be able to go inside, no matter how many people he brings to try it out", Ragnok said, "I would suggest the manor you have in Freiburg. It's the largest town in the region, and magical and non-magical people and creatures coexist peacefully. Of course, the town itself is one of the only communities where wizards and muggles live like this. That would be my advice, but you are free to choose any other manor"

Harry nodded.

"Thank you", he turned to the Malfoys, "Do you agree? I mean, we could all live... calmly and all. It would be close to the school as well"

"We'll obey you in anything you say"

"You all have a say in those decisions. You have to leave the place you've lived in for your entire life. I will never use my actions towards you as entitlement to do whatever I please and expecting you to stand it. Of course I'll set some rules, but this should be done with us as equals"

Lucius seemed surprised.

"Well... Master Ragnok's reasoning is solid. It would also contribute to our safety", Lucius replied.

"I guess that decides it. We're going to live in Freiburg. Oh... wait! Remus Lupin, do you know where he is?"

"Yes. We have to keep a track of everyone who is involved in wills of powerful houses. He is currently residing in a cave up north, if I'm correct. Do you want to summon him here?"

"Please. I would like for him to get accommodated in the cottage my parents left him in Schwarzwald", Harry nodded.

Explaining everything to Remus was, apparently, not a mistake, but dangerous. His inner wolf was furious with Dumbledore for not caring enough for his cub. Harry was able to calm him down, and explained what the plans were. Remus was a bit confused with the part about the Malfoy family, but was accepting enough.

"Will I be able to visit you at the manor?" he asked.

"Of course! You could live there with us, for all I care. You're all the family I got left", the raven said. Remus hugged him.

"I missed you, cub"

"I missed you too, Remy", Harry muttered, hugging him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry groaned when the sun hit his face. He heard a soft screech, and he sighed as he got up from his bed.

"I'm up, Atlas, I'm up", he said, sleepily but slightly amused. He had gotten Atlas, a Northern Goshawk, after moving to the Freiburg Potter Manor. All the Manors, as his house elves told him, were being kept spotless and in perfect condition, move-in ready. He grabbed a piece of raw hare meat from the container, and fed it to Atlas.

The grey-and-white majestic bird nipped his ear playfully as his 'thanks'. Harry definitely spoiled his new messenger familiar, and said hawk was happy with his wizard's treatment of him.

Harry went down to have his own breakfast, and he found scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, along with some toast with butter and jam, and some oatmeal with cinnamon and banana. He ate everything. Usually he didn't eat much, but ever since he had been healed by the goblins, his growing body demanded more food. He tried to eat balanced, though, with plenty of fruits in his diet, as well as drinking a lot of water.

He found Lucius and Draco already in the breakfast table, which had a roof but no walls (unless it was raining), letting the cool breeze blow their way, and was technically in the beautiful gardens, though it was still joined to the house.

"Good morning", he said with a faint smile. It had been two months since they had moved into Freiburg's Manor. At first it was a bit awkward, considering their history together, but it had been oddly easy to get along. And now, Harry was sure Lucius and Narcissa were the parents he never got to meet, and Remus was the cool-yet-strict uncle and godfather and friend. They were living peacefully, and had occasionally gone shopping to town.

"Good morning, though you look like Atlas made a nest in your hair"

"He just called for his breakfast. I wanted to sleep in today", Harry pouted at Lucius' statement. Draco snorted.

"Shall I call you Sleeping Dork?"

"No. I'm a Sleeping Beauty, Draco", Harry mocked, "Where's Mama Cissy?" at her insistence, he called her that. It felt awesome to finally have someone he could call that. Or Mama.

"She is sleeping in. She got inspired last night for a new paint, and went to sleep pretty late", Lucius explained, and "What were your plans for today?"

"Well..."

"You know you can't postpone sending the letters to your friends, right? We literally stunned your guards and flew with all of yours and our things over here, and Remus hasn't been answering anything from anyone", Draco said. Harry groaned.

"Well, it would be easier if I hadn't found out Dumbledore had actually been stealing money and was paying Ron to be my friend and Ginny to seduce me. As if I even like girls", he shuddered, and Draco laughed, "Ron hardly counts as a friend, and Ginny... well, considering she was caught with Amortentia and had intended to give it to me this year, I'm pretty sure she doesn't count as a friend either. Maybe she's just the crazy ex-almost-girlfriend. And about Hermione... I'm still not sure. She started getting paid on third year, and I thought of her as a sister, you know. But, well, it apparently goes around money, huh? I wonder what the hell I saw in those two"

"Serves you right for refusing my hand", Draco teased. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You just reminded me of Dudley being a bully, though the muscle was put by those gorillas that followed you everywhere. The hat actually wanted me in Slytherin"

"What!?" Lucius spat his tea.

"Yep. I insisted on Gryffindor, though, so..."

"Merlin, do not give me these shocks in the morning, Harry", the older blond cleaned up quickly, "Now we can say everyone in the family is a Slytherin"

"But I was..."

"Sh... you were a Slytherin. I knew you had more brains than just getting head into trouble", Lucius shushed him. Harry rolled his eyes, amused by his father's antics, "As much as those three are despicable, though, you still have other friends. I'm aware Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas have apologized for their stupidity the past year and you grew closer. Also the Longbottom boy, he helped you in Herbology and the Triwizard Tournament, am I right? And that... uh... especial friend of yours, Lovegood?"

"Luna. Yes. How do you even know about them, though?"

"Draco has had an unhealthy obsession with you since you rejected his friendship", Lucius said, causing his son to splutter something about him not being some fangirl.

"I also learned about Seamus Finnigan having a crush on you"

Harry was the one to spit his orange juice this time.

"He what?!"

"Crush on you. Honestly, Potter, only you would be so fucking oblivious to people flirting with you", Draco snickered.

"Merlin, I can't even see him the same... but fine, I'll write to them! They aren't as closely watched for mail coming from me, at least not as bad as the Weasleys and Hermione. Though I'll grant to the rest of the Weasley family that their youngest members are the only ones I really hate. Mrs. Weasley is great, though a bit overbearing"

"We know", Draco groaned. Harry laughed.

"And the twins are cool. I gave them my winnings from the Tournament for their joke shop. So, apparently, I'm their partner, and have been depositing the money into my vaults. Percy is still a prat, but mainly because he's a pompous ass, so... anyway. I got nothing against Bill and Charlie. They're cool, and, really, both of them are so fucking hot"

"It was bad enough with Draco, now with you..."

"Draco? You're gay?"

"Yes. Contrary to popular belief, I enjoyed Nott more than Parkinson. Or Pugkinson, as Blaise and I decided to call her for a good while", Draco replied, "We never went beyond a heavy snog, though, because, as you already know, that is not acceptable. Being sexually promiscuous is frowned upon. You can't just have sex with everyone. You might as well get bonded to everyone"

"I know, I know. I wasn't saying you were a slut. I just thought that since Pugkinson was hanging off your shoulder all the time, you two were involved at some point. I'm glad I was wrong about that one"

"You liked the nickname, huh?"

"Of course. It fits her pug face", Harry shrugged, "Anyway... Remus must be still sleeping from last night. I'm going to town to get some parchment and more ink, and a couple of more quills, you know, to write. Are you going to use Frois and Talik, Draco? We are quite far from England, and Seamus is Irish. I doubt Atlas will have the energy to carry all the letters. I'm not so sure about writing to Luna, though. She gets along with everyone, but Ginny is, apparently, her first friend. So far, only Seamus, Dean and Neville will get a letter. I would write to the Dursleys, but really, they don't deserve it. And they actually went to Muggle prison for child abuse and all that. Also because the money that was being paid for them to take care of me, of course, went to the expensive gifts for Dudley and the expensive everything for the walrus and the horse"

"You are awfully vocal about your opinions. Lucky you actually control that tongue in the Wizengamot meetings", Lucius replied with a chuckle. One of the town's owls flew in with a newspaper, and Draco beat his father to it.

"Harry, we're on the front cover. Well, mostly you, of course, but our 'sudden and mysterious' disappearance is suspicious because we happened to vanish at the same time you did. They say it's our doing and that we're doing it for Voldemort"

"Well, they aren't wrong about you being responsible for this", Harry laughed, "Just the reasons are wrong. Oh, are there any testimonies from the Order of the Fire Chicken?"

"You ought to stop that sass sometimes, honestly. But, yes. Dumbledore says he's worried about your wellbeing, considering the circumstances and that we are most probably involved, and that Merlin knows what we'll do to you", Draco didn't know if he had to laugh at how ridiculous the entire article was, or angry at the thought of still being associated with the Snake Face. Or, as Harry had taken to call him, Moldyshorts. Or Voldetort and his Death Munchers. That actually sounded like a band. Maybe the young Lord Potter-Black was a bit insane, after all, no matter how much of a good insanity it might be.

"Fine, I'll try with the sass. Can't help it sometimes. Bumblebee, worried about my wellbeing? I got a letter from Ragnok yesterday and I can safely say that his economic wellbeing is his major concern right now. He tried withdrawing money from my vault yet again, but, of course, he couldn't do it. Ah, also, he tried with the money he had already transferred to his vault, but since all of it had come from mine, illegally, and it was all returned to me, well... he's kind of bankrupt at the moment. The Fire Chicken is probably facing economic troubles as well, seeing how I was in charge of supporting most of it, however unknowingly", Harry frowned, "Anyway, I'll go to town to get my stuff, then I'll write to my friends, and we can just relax the rest of the time if you want. The letters for Stromorth are supposed to come in tomorrow. I hope Remy and mom are up for a celebration, if the occasion arises"

"Oh, they will be. Cissy will go over the top. Don't worry, you are both powerful wizards, I have no doubts you'll both get accepted. And, dear sons, Stromorth is, globally, the best wizarding school. Graduating from there, even with mediocre grades, is worth more than graduating from Hogwarts with honors", Lucius was smiling smugly, but there was also a hint of pride. And Harry liked the feeling of having someone who actually cared, someone he could look forward to make them proud.

* * *

The distance from the center of the town and the Manor was big, considering the insane amount of grounds it actually possessed, so he couldn't walk it. Well, he could, and he wouldn't get tired much, but, to be honest, he worked out enough, and carrying shopping bags all the way back was not his idea of fun. And working out did not mean he didn't sweat.

Therefore, his decision was to take one of his horses, Rostov, a jet black Friesian horse. He was his favorite horse, after all, even though the first thing the horse did was stand on his rear hooves and get rid of his rider (Harry, of course). Now, though, it was well known that Harry was the only one allowed to ride Rostov, unless it was an emergency (Draco was able to ride him when Harry got stuck on a tree without his wand and was unable to get down... at least if he wanted to still be in one piece after landing).

Apart from Rostov being a huge horse, he made an impression while riding him. Elegant and beautiful horse, and an elegant and more than just good-looking lord on him. Despite the family being really private, they had been friendly and open when it came to learn about their culture and, more importantly, their language. The townspeople held them in high regards. They were polite, and were always willing to help. They weren't patronizing but they never lost their aristocratic air. Long story short, Harry (or Lord Harrison, as they called him despite his insistence on 'Harry') and Draco (Lord Draco to everyone, no matter how he had asked for 'just Draco') were pretty popular with both girls and boys in town.

Harry, oblivious as ever, had just noticed a couple of the boldest ones, while Draco usually turned them down politely. Sometimes he even turned down a couple of people for Harry. Surprisingly enough, no one resented them for not accepting them.

"Good morning, Herr Richter", he greeted the owner of the stationery shop.

"Ahh, Lord Harrison! It's good to see you again. What can I offer you today?"

"I insist with being called Harry. And drop the titles... ah... well, I was actually looking for more parchment. The slightly pearled one? And may I look for some quills as well? I'm afraid I'll need to write a lot of letters, starting today..."

"Right away. So, you already have a lucky betrothed?"

"Uh? No, no. Since we came here, communication with friends has been non-existent. I do not wish to lose their friendship, and I think they might be a bit worried due to my lack of letters or calls, so I... well, I decided to write so they can sleep better at night, I guess. They worry a lot about my wellbeing", Harry replied easily. He left out a lot of details, such as that his homeland was England, though he thought they would have already figured it out. He did have an accent, and he spoke English naturally, and these people were not stupid.

"You sound like a good friend. A very good one. May I ask how long will you stay here?" Herr Richter asked, "Of course, if it's not intrusive"

"No, I understand your curiosity. You want to know for how long I will be coming to buy parchment, ink, and quills." Harry said with a teasing tone. Herr Richter laughed.

"Maybe"

"Well, my family and I fully intend to live here for a very long time. Years. At least until Draco and I graduate from Stromorth"

"Oh, you will attend Stromorth?" Herr Richter blinked in surprise, "I thought you were already graduated! I mean, you are a Lord, after all"

"I had to take full functions due to unforeseen and rather unpleasant circumstances", Harry muttered, looking at his lordship rings with a hint of sadness. There was silence as the shop owner packed all his purchases.

"I'm sorry for that. I guess it was not pretty being in your place", he told the younger man. Harry smiled tensely.

"It has never been pretty to be in my place. You... are actually the only person to ever consider, or even try to think, how it feels to be in my place", Harry admitted, paying with his gold coins, "Thank you, Herr Richter. For everything. And even if I don't live in Freiburg, I'll make sure to pay you at least one visit a year, and probably take supplies for several months. You truly have unique things in your shop"

"I try my best"

"I know. Thank you, again, and have a nice day, Herr Richter", Harry bowed his head slightly, and left the shop.

* * *

The ride back was calm, but full of thoughts. He had lost a lot of things... of people, when he claimed his lordships and had fled to Freiburg with the Malfoy family. It wasn't that fact, but the fact that the people he thought of as family were actually being paid, from his own money, to act like it. They spied on him: his actions, his words... he shuddered. By now, those people he trusted almost inherently were now the people he was more than just wary of.

"You look like you had some enlightening conversation with Herr Richter", Lucius mentioned when he went in. Harry chuckled lightly, but it lacked fun.

"Maybe"

"What was it, son?" Lucius' face was worried, his pale blue-grey eyes examining him.

"It's just... coming here, or technically leaving the Dursleys, and leaving England... I was just thinking... what I lost because of this..." Harry muttered. Lucius tensed slightly, "No, I don't blame you. You are my father now. I loved Sirius as my godfather, of course, and he could have been a father figure, but our communication was never good enough. He was still a fugitive, and right now I think he was a bit cryptic and not very specific on his letters because we were both being watched by the Ministry, the Order and by Dumbledore and his little spies. And Remus... he's like an uncle, and my substitute godfather. He was never able to stick around much, and he couldn't, due to his lycanthropy, take proper care of me. He could barely take care of himself. And then Draco wrote. And you, Mama Cissy and Draco... the three wormed into my heart when I was deciding to not trust anyone again. The people I thought of as family were only that because they were being paid to do so, and it was the worst form of betrayal I've experienced so far. And you know how my childhood was, so that's saying something. The thing is... you were asking me for help, and I agreed, and you gave me so much more in return. You gave me a father, a mother, and a brother. You gave me a family I actually look forward to eat with, celebrate with, to make them proud. I feel loved. This is my home now... and I had to leave things behind, but I can do without the painful memories and the pain of pretending everything is fine. This... this is worth more than anything I could have left. And, trust me, I didn't have much"

Lucius was moved. Well, he was feeling rather sentimental. Harry had delivered an improvised speech to calm him down as soon as he tensed. A few tears managed to escape, and he hugged the emerald-eyed teenager, who hugged him back.

"I'll always be proud of you. You've grown in a lot of ways this summer, and you are able to think for yourself, and to make decisions, and you... you and Draco are the best parts of my life, right along with Cissy. I can't find the words to thank you for not only protecting us, but also treating us as family"

They laughed a bit, both thinking themselves silly for their tears.

"I'll write to Neville, Dean and Seamus. Oh, Merlin, Seamus had a crush on me. Should I ask him about it? I mean..."

"No. Not unless he does make advances. He could have gotten over his crush over you, for all we know", Lucius said.

They looked at each other, and smiled. Then they went to their own rooms to start writing.

Harry sent Talik to Seamus, Frois to Dean, and Atlas to Neville. He would switch at some point, as to not raise suspicions. Or maybe switching would, indeed, raise the suspicions. They could notice that the same three birds were delivering to the same three people. He would not switch, then. A new constant bird could be easily explained by 'a new friend' or something similar, and no one would suspect he would own an eagle or a hawk to be his new messenger familiar after Hedwig. To be honest, he had been predictable like that. Hedwig held sentimental value, after all. But he was a new man (boy?), and he needed to communicate.

He just wished they would be understanding about the situation.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

An excited scream was heard in the entire Manor. Harry cast a quick Tempus, and he groaned. Seriously? Six in the morning? He did not have the energy to deal with happy people this early. Atlas would be annoyed as his wizard was, if he hadn't been busy delivering Neville's letter. He sighed, and just sat up.

"Harry! Wake up, you idiot! And if you growl, I see pain in your future!"

"Oh, Merlin, what is it now?" he said.

"Mom is going overboard", the blond peeked into his room, "Brace yourself for a ball. The excuse will be your birthday, of course, this time. Something about not having a proper birthday party is an abomination for anyone. And the letters from Stromorth are waiting for us downstairs. Mom and Dad are waiting for us to get down, so hurry! Mom will not be amused if she has to wait any longer, do you know how anxious she can get?"

"Tell me about it", Harry was recalling a rather specific memory about Narcissa going all over the Manor when they had first moved in, trying to find something that Harry would dislike so she could fix it, to the extent that the house elves were worried about her well-being. It was part of why Narcissa had started painting again, "Let's go, then. Dad is probably as anxious as her right now"

Both went down, Draco more woken up than Harry at this point, and they both sat down. A house elf presented both teenagers with an envelope for each. They exchanged glances.

"Good morning! How are you two feeling today?" Narcissa chirped, not even bothering to hide her eagerness. She needed to know if her boys had gotten into Stromorth. While both she and Lucius were sure Draco and Harry were powerful enough to attend the elite school, the transfer was being made rather quickly. It made her nervous. She just wanted the best for her boys.

Remus entered, looking both worn out and excited. He made himself comfortable at the breakfast table, and pointedly looked at both boys reading their letters, then looking over to the other's letter.

"We're both in!" they announced.

"Oh, Merlin!" Lucius let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, "I knew it!"

"We knew it!" Cissy corrected, hugging both as tightly as she could, "I'm so proud of you"

"We all are proud of you", Remus smiled, "And Sirius, James, and Lily would have been too. And they would all be beaming and hugging both of you tightly enough to remove air from your lungs"

"Not sure if mom is already doing that right now", Harry muttered weakly in the still tight embrace of the blond woman he now cherished like a mother.

"Sorry, I'm just really happy. I'm contacting Eve. I'm sure Blaise got in too"

She was beat to it when Evangelina Zabini and her son walked in with a house elf.

"You got in too", Blaise laughed as his mother and the blond woman hugged and chattered excitedly. Being purebloods, showing emotions was many times frowned upon, but as of late, they had realized it wasn't critical if they did. They still masked them in the political sphere, of course, as any self-respecting politician would, but with family and friends they had lost the stiffness and many formalities unless it was something serious.

"Of course!" the three teenagers showed each other their letters. Each had a slightly different wording and order, and some ideas, which told them the letter wasn't as standardized as Hogwarts', where only the name changed.

"Have you had any contact with anyone back in England?" Draco asked Blaise.

"With Theodore Nott. The gorillas are too dumb. I wrote to Daphne Greengrass as well, just to tell her that our betrothal was off and all that"

"How's Theo?" the blond asked. His betrothal to Astoria, Daphne's younger sister, was off as soon as he told his parents he wanted a male partner (a year ago). He had hoped that he would get a betrothal contract with Theo. It wasn't as if he was excited about an arranged marriage, but Theo was cool enough, and he thought they could even love each other if they married. And their kids would be pretty powerful too, as well as beautiful.

His father had listened to his thoughts on the matter, but Theodore Nott Senior had turned them down saying his son already had two proposals with other pureblood girls. He had chosen to ignore his son about his attraction to the same gender. It wasn't unheard of, but it was a bit frowned upon. Nott Senior did not care enough about his heir to think about the opinion of others, or how some might pity the young man because of his father's actions.

"Well... not so good. His father wants him to take the Mark", Blaise sighed, "And he asked about you, if you were okay. He didn't have a way out like us. His family has been a supporter from the first war, he's expected to be. Not all the purebloods have really grasped that what they were fighting for is gone and there is just madness left. His father included. Some Death Eater kids have started looking for ways to escape the war, but not many will open their doors for them"

"Like who?"

"Marcus Flint is looking for a safe place, for him and his little brother. Felix and Eli Rosier as well. Though their father died in the first war, they're, uh... being pushed by others to join, to continue his 'legacy'. Surprisingly enough, Dolohov himself was looking for a way out. Theo saw him at the Ministry trying to find a way out of England without anyone finding out. There were some rumors about him having a child, and that he found out when he got out. We wouldn't know, since the bearer obviously did not use his last name for important reasons"

»"Apart from them, though, I know at least two have managed to flee. Millicent had a betrothal to a Bulgarian pureblood, like two or three years older than us, and he was rather happy when she told him they should get married at her traditional summer visit. She never went back. Her father was furious, he was thinking of both offering her as a Death Eater and to get her another betrothal to one of them. But he had to give in. Tracy Davies... well, she was slightly less lucky. She did get out due to her betrothal in Greece. Her husband is furious, though, because when she arrived for her visit she was... uh... she had been... tortured. With the Cruciatus. He wanted to kill her father. But she managed to stop him. They don't know if she will be able to carry children, but they are going to healers"

The three teenagers had somber looks. And Harry's temper was boiling.

"Have any of the others been able to find something?" he asked, his voice tight.

"Theo tried, along with the Flints and Rosiers. Bellatrix wasn't too happy about that"

All the glasses broke at the sound of that name.

"Kreacher!" Harry barked. Kreacher popped in, "Get me to Ragnok right away! And tell the elves at the Berlin Manor to have everything ready!"

"Harry, wait, where are you going?!"

"I'm going back to England, to Gringotts, and I'm making sure those people leave the country! And if I'm able to kill Bellatrix in the process, I will be just mildly appeased!", before anyone could do something, both Blaise and Draco grabbed Harry, and the three boys disappeared with Kreacher. Remus was growling.

"I will not deny those kids worry me, but I will forever damn the hero complex the Bumblebee nurtured in Harry. Is there any way to help them without getting all of us caught?" the werewolf asked. Lucius looked at Narcissa, and then nodded.

"The Heads of Family usually sat together to look for appropriate purebloods for the betrothal contracts. I know where Millicent and Tracy are. Both men are good, and I'm sure they will help us. Especially Tracy's husband, if he's half as furious as Blaise portrayed him"

"I'll start some paperwork to see if they could attend Stromorth as well. It would be good for them to continue their education with a normal environment for once", Eve said softly.

"I'll help you. I know where to get their papers in the Gringotts branch over here. Marcus Flint is of age, he can decide for his little brother, Leo. Felix Rosier can find a job here, he graduated already. His brother, I think, has just turned eighteen, though, he will have to start over, and I think he had an apprenticeship. Theo will surely want to go with the boys to Stromorth", both women left.

"Remus, I will need your company for this trip", Lucius said, but the man hesitated.

"I'm a werewolf. And I kind of can't hide it", he motioned for his amber eyes.

"They won't care. You are powerful enough for that. Most of pureblood prejudices towards creatures is how they start to neglect their magic. If they lose it when turned, it means it was not strong enough. You are a Charms Master, and great at Defense, and you graduated, your magic is as if you were still completely human", the blond explained, "And if they do have a problem with you, we have a problem with them"

Remus smiled.

"Thank you", he muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Both men went to Gringotts, and were able to take a portkey to Bulgaria's branch. Lucius then appearated them to the house he knew Lord Dobrev would be giving his son when he married Millicent. He had been keyed in as he was a Lord of a friendly House to both the Bulstrodes and the Dobrevs. He knocked, and instead of an elf, it was Millicent who answered the door. Lucius had to admit he was never the prettiest little girl, but she had grown. Her features were a bit softer, and she seemed calm, not to mention she also now looked beautiful.

"Lord Malfoy", she sounded both surprised, and slightly afraid, "Professor Lupin", she was a bit more relaxed when she noticed her former Professor.

"Lady Dobreva", Lucius smiled softly, bowing his head a bit in greeting. Remus did the same.

"This actually feels... odd, Uncle Lucius", she laughed a bit, "Please, come in"

"Really?"

"I know you wouldn't come with Mr. Lupin if you were going to take me to the Dark Lord. And he wouldn't come with you to recruit me for the old Headmaster", she replied easily, "As you probably are aware, considering you're here, I'm married"

"Yes, to Vladimir Dobrev", Lucius nodded, "I was there when he was chosen as your betrothed, as you might know"

"A lucky day for both of us", a young man with strong features came in, walking in, kissing his wife, and then greeting both men with a handshake, "I was alerted of your presence as soon as you landed, hence my arrival. Though Millie seems calm, so my worries might be unfounded. What can we do for you, Lord Malfoy?"

"Are you aware of England's current situation?" Lucius asked. Even if Vladimir had not given him the sharp nod, the way his hand held Millicent's and the way both tensed slightly, would have confirmed it, "And you, Millicent, are aware that Blaise and his mother got away, the same with Draco, Narcissa, and myself", she nodded, her husband gave her a questioning look.

"Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy. Blaise's family has been neutral for centuries, as you may know. Lucius puts family first. He did everything in his power so Narcissa wouldn't have to take de Mark, as expected from a member of a dark pureblood family. It makes sense he took action when Draco was... requested... to take the Mark. I'm intrigued, though, as how you managed. I know Evangelina pulled every string, including her double citizenship with the Italian Ministry. You could've gone to France, but that would be too close to England for your taste, I'm assuming. No one knew what became of you and your family", Millicent frowned a bit.

"Oddly enough, it links with the reason for our visit. Remus?" Lucius turned to the werewolf, who had been observing their interactions quietly. His wolf seemed calm enough that these people were trustworthy.

"I'm sure you are acquainted with my godson, Harry"

"Potter? How is he related to this visit?" Millicent seemed confused, "I'm sorry, please go on", a house elf brought some tea, biscuits, scones, and coffee. Remus took the coffee and tasted it before continuing.

"As you are aware, I'm a werewolf. I wasn't able to take care of him when he was little. Dumbledore managed to keep me from learning the truth about how he was brought up. I will not entertain you much longer for this. Harry discovered his two lordships, and a list of betrayals with them. Dumbledore is no longer considered someone we would even want to run into by accident, along with some of the Weasleys, and Granger. It was thanks to Draco, and Lucius, that Harry was able to find everything out. Draco wrote to him, asking for help. It was probably their last resort. He used Narcissa's status as member of the House of Black, to which Harry is currently head to through Sirius' will. I'm sure you read The Prophet's article about Harry gone missing, precisely when the Malfoys disappeared. It was correct that the Malfoys had to do with it, but it was for the wrong reasons. For the past weeks, we've been living in one of the manors. Blaise, Draco and Harry have grown close, really close, like brothers, during this time. We had breakfast today, everyone gathered, and Blaise had some... interesting news, when Draco asked about Theodore Nott Junior"

There was silence for a while, they all sipped their drinks.

"I'm assuming Blaise told them about what Theo wrote", Millicent said. Remus nodded, "I was the first one to leave. I know Tracy followed, but we are the only ones so far", she sighed. Her husband held her hand tightly for reassurance, and she gave him a soft smile, "I was luckier than Tracy, though... I know her dad used the Cruciatus on her before she left", her voice grew quieter.

"We are aware", Lucius said with a sigh, "Harry's temper... is really something else. He was listening to everything. He has seen things from our side, the side where we think about our families before anything else. And he was furious"

"Long story short, he commanded Kreacher, his elf, to take him to Gringotts back at England, and he was going to personally see that Theodore, the Flints, and the Rosiers got out of the country. Before we even knew what he was going to do, Draco and Blaise both jumped to go with them. Eve and Cissy are doing paperwork for them to go somewhere else. Theo will, most probably, be attending Stromorth with the other three. However... we need... help. For them to be undetectable. I don't know if you have any contacts that might help us", Remus explained.

"Potter is really something else", Millicent laughed softly, "We have some contacts. If you need any help for them to have somewhere to live in, we will be happy to help. Right, Vova?"

"Of course, my love", the Bulgarian gave her a smile, "Have you gone to Greece yet?"

"No, but we will be going. There are other people who Harry might want to help, mainly the Weasley twins. I think the two oldest as well, but they're out of England as far as I know"

"They went back when Harry went missing", Millicent informed, "But with them being in the Headmaster's side, I thought they would be fine"

"Their family is seen as Light as they come, and neither of them wanted to go back to England, as far as Harry knew. It probably had to do with a lot of threats or emotional manipulations or blackmail for them to go back", Lucius shrugged, "In any case, Harry will see that all the people that want out of the war are able to get out"

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him, Lucius", Vladimir mentioned.

"As Millicent said, Harry is something else", the blond replied, "Thank you for your hospitality, and for your help. We will get in touch in the future"

"Please do", the young couple smiled at them. As soon as they left, Millicent looked at her husband.

"We need to get them all out, Vova"

"And we will do everything we can, dear. I promise", he hugged her. He knew her situation had been tiring, stressful, and it had hurt her. She had to experience knowing her family and her friends' families would torture their own kids to fight a war they didn't want to be a part of. Tracy was her best friend, and she was put under the Cruciatus by her own father. Tiring, stressful and hurtful probably wouldn't even begin to describe it, actually.

* * *

The visit to Lord Hatzis was very similar. Tracy had been a bit more nervous than Millicent, which was understandable.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Nikolaos asked. He was a bit wearier than Vladimir. Again, it was understandable, considering what the young Lady Hatzi had been through.

"We need help. We are aware of Theodore, the Flints and the Rosiers wanting to get out of England. We are also aware that Bellatrix was not amused about their plans and desires, mainly with Theodore", Lucius said, straight to the point, "We know what you went through, Tracy, and, rest assured, if there is any way we can help you, we will. My son, Draco, and Harry and Blaise, have gone back to England, pretty much risking their own freedom, to get them out. We went to visit Millicent and Vladimir in Bulgaria already, and we want to ask you for your help. If you have any contacts, any way that might help them, please, tell us, or use it, please"

"We will", Tracy said, her voice sounding firm, "Nikolaos and I have already started trying everything we can. If they need housing, they will be welcome here too. I was focusing, really, on girls. I know a lot could get paired up with Death Eaters, and abusive men, or even sold out or raped, and I don't want them to be toys like that. I don't want them to go through the same things I did. I have gotten requests in disguise of wedding presents. Oddly enough, even some Gryffindor girls from years above mine have done so", she sighed, "I will help Theo and the rest of the guys too. I heard Dolohov has a kid, he is currently the only one we can talk to within their ranks to get them help because he wants out for him and his heir"

"Do you happen to know who the bearer was?" Lucius asked. Tracy bit her lower lip.

"We made speculations. It was too far-fetched, and it raised more questions than answers, honestly. I think it's something that you better get out of him rather than anyone else", she replied.

"I will, trust me", Lucius replied.

"Thank you, Tracy. We will keep in touch", Remus said.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

"You know I would totally kill you for risking yourselves like this"

"And leave you alone? Not a chance", Draco scoffed.

"Besides, our parents will make sure we get out... again. Safe and sound", Blaise shrugged, "We better start working"

"Where to start, though?" Harry frowned, "We need to plan something. At least in a big scale. We get them out, how? How do we contact them?"

In that moment, though, Dolohov was walking into the bank, a frown on his face. He noticed them, and he seemed torn.

"Tell me how to get out", were his first words, "I will do anything"

"Okay, this is rather convenient", Blaise mumbled, "We need a vow, though. We have names. And we will need your help getting them out"

"I need to get my son and nephew out"

"You have a nephew?"

"In my defense, I found out when I got out of Azkaban. I had to come to the bank, and... Well, blood is blood. I'm not the best person out there, I'm sure, but my family will always come first", Dolohov sighed.

"We will need names"

"William and Charles. Weasley", he said the last name like a curse. Harry blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"William is my son, and Charles is my nephew through William's bearer. Well, their bearers were brothers", Dolohov muttered. Harry was the first to click.

"Fabian and Gideon Prewett. Molly's brothers"

"That woman is in no way related to Fabian!" Dolohov snapped, "She killed her own brothers!"

"Wait... start over. We need to understand what's happening", Draco frowned. Blaise requested a private room, heavily warded, and the four went in, "Now, please explain everything from the start"

"The war was brewing. I come from a dark family, and of course I was expected to support the Dark Lord. I didn't want to, at first, but it seemed a way to be safe. I... Fabian Prewett was my fiancé. I wanted to keep him safe as well. There weren't any problems with my desires due to his pureblood status, but his family was light. He had to be against my family. We didn't care at first, and we did elope. Several times. We wanted to bond, and it was a way to get started. I never knew our encounters had created life in him. I was branded by the time William was born, so I suspect Fabian didn't want to risk our son's life. The only other person I could talk to about this was Regulus Black. He understood. He was involved with Gideon", Dolohov's eyes were sad, "I'm assuming it was Gideon the one who was pregnant, because Regulus would've lost the baby within a month, if not a week. We were both branded with the Mark. And I never harmed Fabian or Gideon. Or their sister, for that matter. I had to survive, and Fabian knew that. He wasn't happy about it, but he knew that. And then the attack. I know I was the one found guilty, and that I did horrible things to both of them. But I didn't. I arrived at the scene with Regulus, Lucius, Severus, and Evan. Evan was killed, and we had fought back, of course. I hadn't even realized there were bodies when we arrived. When things cleared, I saw them. Regulus and I saw them, and Regulus tried to do something against the Dark Lord, I'm not sure what, but he got himself killed. And I just wanted revenge on whoever had done that to Fabian, and Gideon"

"How did you find out?"

"As I said, I had to come to the bank when I got out. I honestly thought I would have no way out, I knew I had no one left to fight for, with Fabian gone. I just came to reactivate my vaults and checked my will. And I had to check who would be heir to the Dolohov House. And his name was joined with mine, and a line went down to William Sebastian Dolohov-Prewett, known as Bill Weasley. His sister took William away, just as she did with Charles two years later. She and Dumbledore made sure they were legally Weasleys, and that no record of my son, or Regulus' son, was found"

"How did you find out about Charlie?" Harry asked.

"I was one of Regulus' beneficiaries. He had his own fortune, too, and if Sirius hadn't named an heir, the Black House would have fallen to Regulus, and his heir. I didn't think he had one, but he had stipulated that any child of his with Gideon Prewett was to receive his fortune in case something happened. I don't know if he knew about Charles, but at least he wanted to make sure that in case their encounters ended up with Gideon being with child, they were economically well if he wasn't around. I read the will, and, well, apparently I was to be godfather to one of their children if they ever had one. Regulus knew I would probably outlive him, I have great self-preservation instincts. Better than the ones he had, anyway", Dolohov sighed.

"Have you contacted them?"

"I asked the goblins to contact Charles. I decided to meet with William here in Gringotts so he knew I would not hurt him. He... didn't take it that bad. Probably because I let him see my memories with Fabian, and what happened the day he died. I think he confronted his 'mother' about it... he wrote to me, that he didn't want to get involved in the war, and that his supposed parents were insisting that all of them had to participate. I promised I would look for any way to get us out. He then added Charles to the equation, and I didn't find any reason to not take him as well, considering I'm, apparently, his godfather"

"Well, we heard about Theo and other Death Eater's kids that wanted out too, and we're here to get them", Draco said, "I'm sure we can manage something"

"House elves. They aren't bound to the wizard magic with wards. Draco, do you still have control over the elves at Malfoy Manor?"

"Yes. As long as my father and I live, they answer to us, they are bound to members of the house", the blond confirmed.

"Most of your elves would know Theodore, and the Flints, and the Rosiers. We grew up together, for the most part", Blaise continued, a smile creeping into his lips, "You can order to bring them here. And not make it suspicious. Maybe they could pretend to be guarding them while taking them shopping to Diagon Alley for school supplies. About William and Charles, though..."

"It will be a bit harder to get them away from Dumbledore", Harry hummed, "But the old goat is still an idiot. He thinks I will not dare to come back and steal members from his Fire Chicken", Dolohov snorted, and then outright laughed.

"Oh, Merlin, that is hilarious", he breathed out.

"You should hear what he called the Dark Lord", Draco snorted.

"Oh, please tell me"

"Moldy Shorts, or Voldetort. And his Death Munchers", Harry sniffed, "They're cool nicknames"

Dolohov was laughing for a good while.

"My, my, I should've come to you earlier. Wait, why not use the elves?"

"The light side doesn't use elves, if they see one they will freak out for sure. Wait, Bill. He works here, doesn't he?" Harry suddenly remembered, "This will be easier than I thought! Bill comes to work, and Charlie can come to try and get a job here that pays well enough to help with the Fire Chicken's finances!"

"That sounds... interesting. It could work. Voldetort has noticed that they seem to be recruiting less since you disappeared. We thought it was about ideology at first, or about their savior being missing and them being afraid, but then we knew it was about them not offering anything but 'greater good' propaganda", Dolohov said, "Oh, and don't say his name. It became Taboo. Voldetort or Moldy Shorts should do it"

"Thanks for the warning. You said you could contact Bill. I mean he works here, but I'm sure you coming here every day would be suspicious", Harry mentioned.

"Yes. I mostly give messages through a house elf, to the goblins, and the goblins tell him about it. He sends his answer through them, and they send me a note or a letter from him. It's shorter than it sounds, most of the time, unless I'm in a meeting", he explained, "I will contact him with your plan"

"I will be an anonymous helper until we all are out of England", Harry said.

"Sure. I'm assuming it's better if few people know you're back, even if you think them trustworthy. I would suggest you even obliviate me, but I'm not much of a target to read minds for Voldetort. He focuses on Severus, and the Lestranges. They are the most active ones so far. I know Severus is spying for Dumbledore, which, I assume, is the reason behind his importance", Dolohov mused out loud, "But it wouldn't do any good if I forget things. Maybe forgetting it was actually you would help"

"Any of you good at obliviating?" Harry asked his friends. Draco stood.

"Sev taught me", the blond said, and whispered the incantation, and closed his eyes, concentrating. He then made Dolohov sleep, "I think that should do it. We will need to get him away before he wakes, to not render the obliviation useless so soon. Altering the mind too often is not healthy"

The three guys called the goblins to take Dolohov away and just tell him they would keep in touch for any advances on their plans, but not to mention their names. They decided to cast some glamours over themselves and went out of the bank. They ate at The Leaky Cauldron, and rented a room for the night.

"You two are still considered underage. Don't do any magic outside of Gringotts or we'll have the Ministry upon us, and everyone else with them", Harry warned, and he sighed, "I should really stop getting into these sort of things"

"You know, mom and dad, and myself, will probably curse your hero complex because it was nurtured by Dumbledore. But Theo is really important to me... and I'm grateful that you risked everything to get him out. Well, and our other friends too, you know, but Theo is especial", Draco admitted, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Harry observed the blond, and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't curse my hero complex, Draco", Harry replied, "And I managed to figure out Theo was important to you, he has been the only person you have asked about from England, at least specifically. I know mom and dad, and you, are under my protection, and as such, I can get you a betrothal. Would you want me to try and get one with Theo?"

"How would you even manage that? His father manages his contracts"

"He could, uh, formally request protection from one of my houses. He becomes my charge, sort of", Harry shrugged, and "I read it on one of the books on betrothals. Since I'm technically an adult, and head of my houses, sure, I can manage my own, I can choose whoever I want. If dad had taken me as his charge, he would be the one to see my betrothals. There is a clause, that if a minor asks for protection to an external House, they become the charges of said House, should it accept the minor. It is mostly used for safety, which, in this case, is totally valid. But before I even consider the contract, both of you would have to accept"

"That means asking Theo. I have no problems, but his father already ignored his wishes for something important, he has to accept", the blond heir replied, "Thank you, Harry. You have no idea how much that means to me"

Harry blushed, but nodded. After warding the room against everything he could think of (including animagi), they fell asleep rather quickly. It had been a rather hectic day, after all.

* * *

Halfway through! This was quicker than anticipated.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Three different screeches woke the three boys, one more impatient than the other two.

"Merlin, Atlas", Harry mumbled. He stood and gave his messenger familiar a bit of what remained of their dinner from last night. He noticed the three letters, and seemed to realize his letters had been all answered. And he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

_'Dear Harry,_

_I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for you to discover their lies, but rest assured, I will not follow that path, ever. We never were that close, up until last year, but I value our friendship. War is brewing, and everyone knows it. My grandmother already had to ban everyone from the Order. She doesn't want our family to suffer any more than we already have. My parents are still in the hospital, unable to regain their sanity, and they will probably die that way. She doesn't want me to have a similar fate, or even to have our family die out with me. I promised her I would be careful at Hogwarts, but, to be honest, I don't even want to go back there. Loyalties will be defined, and I'm afraid that if I don't show open support to either side, considering my family is pureblood and light, I will be pressured or bullied into doing something I don't want. I know I'm a Gryffindor, but there are certain things I do not feel brave for. And, after what you have told me about Ronald, Ginevra and Hermione, well... there goes my hopes of at least having a friendly face._

_Seamus' mother wants to transfer him to a school in Ireland, and, considering the circumstances, I can't blame either of them. He has been helping Dean to manage to do something about school too, but he's a muggleborn, and he doesn't really know how to move among wizards outside of school. He still lives in a muggle area, so it isn't as if we can do a lot to help without getting him into trouble. I'm glad you were able to get out, and I'm happy that you have found a family, and that the Malfoys are not what everyone thought they were. I will miss you, and I hope we will see each other again. Though I will only ask one thing from you, Harry, as a friend. If you find anything that would help us get out of England, please tell us, and please help us get away._

_A big hug,_

_Your friend Neville Longbottom, Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom'_

Harry bit his lower lip. Maybe Neville wasn't being tortured by his family, but he had been through enough suffering. And of course he would help his friend. He took Seamus' letter from Talik's tray, and fed the eagle as he read the letter.

_'Harry,_

_I'm glad to hear you're okay, and if I ever see that fucking redhead and his sister again, I will probably kill them. They never let you hang out with the rest of us, and for what?! To betray your trust?! I mean, I'm no saint, and we did have a rough patch (to put it mildly), but I wouldn't go backstabbing my best friend like that! The war sucks, and you're lucky to have gotten out of it. I don't know how you managed, but congratulations! My mom wants to get me out of Hogwarts, and I can't blame her. I will miss the castle, the dorms, the Quidditch parties, but getting out of the war as much as we can is kind of our goal right now. My father isn't so sure, but when we explained, he started looking for jobs in countries outside of Ireland and England. Him being muggle and making all the arrangements the muggle way will probably help for us to go undetected by Death Eaters._

_We aren't famous or important in the Wizarding World, but with my dad being a muggle and my mom a witch, it's only a matter of time for us to have a target on our heads, at least for Death Eaters. Dean is kind of unprotected, which worries me. It's probably no surprise to you, but I was thinking of asking him to be my boyfriend. I know I'm not exactly a saint, and I have flirted shamelessly with nearly everyone in Hogwarts... but I really like him, and I think I love him, really, because he's the one person I wouldn't want to lose, aside from my family. Now, with the war going on, it's not like we will actually have all the time in the world to wait. I've been writing to him as much as I can, but I know he's anxious about everything. He tried explaining to his parents, but they weren't convinced about leaving England. The only thing I can think of is taking him. If he leaves, his family has no more ties to the Wizarding World, and they would be as safe as any other muggle. It's not much, but he's considering leaving because he thinks that by staying he will only put a target on them much sooner. I can't really argue, I want him safe._

_If we see each other again, we should catch up for real, and hopefully in a more desirable situation._

_My best wishes for you and your new family,_

_Seamus'_

Harry made a mental note to hurry the process Seamus' father was making to leave. He had enough pull in the Wizarding World, mainly with the goblins, who had already helped him. They could make it easier for Seamus and his mother, at least, considering they were magical. And sure enough, he would start pulling strings in the muggle world if he had to. He would probably take Dean, and maybe offering his father a great-paying job as far away from England as he could, and help Dean's parents' move. He knew Seamus was an only child, but he wasn't sure about Dean being one too. He would have to make sure the entire family was safe. He didn't mind, he just wanted his friends (his real ones) to not go through losing family.

He went to Frois, fed her, and took Dean's letter. It was shorter than the previous ones.

_'Harry,_

_I know we never were too close, but I'm glad you're okay. I would like to think we're good friends, at least since after we apologized for being such jerks to you. I told my parents about the war, and that I was not planning on going back to Hogwarts, but they wouldn't listen. They want me to go back, of course, to continue my education, and they think that since they haven't been experiencing any changes in safety and such, war is not happening for us. I was never so mad about them not understanding the differences and the division between the muggle world and the wizards'. Seamus told me you wrote to him as well, and I'm happy to be part of the people you still want as friends. I will probably be abusing our friendship, but I really don't want to end up dead or just barely surviving. Would you please help me get out of England? I know that if the only link to the Wizarding World my parents have is gone, they will be safer. I would ask for my parents and my two little sisters, but my parent can be stubborn as a mule, and I won't force you to deal with him._

_Thank you, both in case you decide to help and not, just because you're an amazing friend._

_My best wishes,_

_Dean'_

* * *

Harry bit his lower lip. Three more people to get out. Five counting Seamus' parents, but they were also working on their own so they didn't count much. And the four Thomases, aside from Dean. Dean's family would be probably the hardest ones to get out, but he thought he could manage. With Dolohov's help, they had it slightly easier with the Death Eaters' kids, and the two oldest Weasleys (though he doubted they would keep that last name after knowing the truth about Molly).

"Harry? Are you okay?" Draco asked, concerned. Harry looked at him, and then sighed.

"We will casually visit the Alley, we need to go to Gringotts again. We have more people to get out", he pointed at the three letters, "Neville, Seamus, and Dean. Seamus' father is a muggle, he is already looking for jobs and residences outside, and doing everything the muggle way to be under the radar. Neville will need our help, though, because he's a pureblood, and it will be slightly more complicated considering he's expected to be all light and fighting. Dean will also need our help. He's a muggleborn, his parents didn't believe him, and he has two little sisters. We need to get the entire family out, but Dean is priority. He's their link to our world, and with him gone it will probably be safer for them", Harry explained, while getting changed in the blink of an eye, "Let's go!"

Both Slytherins nodded sharply, changing themselves, and followed him. Draco sometimes mused that if Harry had been in Slytherin, he would have ruled the House, intentionally or not. He was a natural leader, and the blond didn't mind the thought that he might have become his main follower. He recognized he had been a spoiled brat, but he was better now. Blaise, on the other hand, had never interacted much with Harry, but he knew power and leadership when he saw them. Harry had both, and also a strong sense of justice. He might be a bit too soft and had a terrible habit of playing hero, but he didn't go helping everyone blindly anymore, which was a plus. Oddly enough, he was also feeling big brother vibes with the young lord, like Draco, and was dreading quite a bit when Harry decided to actually date and have courting contracts.

Their visit to Gringotts was fruitful. Ragnok had assured them that Robert Thomas, Dean's father, would get such good-paying job offer in Greece that he would be unable to decline. They added in a six-bedroom house with a lot of space for their family, just in case. It hadn't been one of the properties, but Harry paid for it, and placed a low rental price for them, despite of it being in a bit of an up-scale neighborhood.

The offer would be made right away, giving two days maximum to give an answer.

"Let's just hope he sees that he will be offering his family a better way of living", Blaise muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure he will see that. By what Dean told me, at least he worried about their education and all. The girls will be able to attend an elite muggle school nearby if he takes the job", Harry shrugged, "If not, well, I'm not above kidnapping the entire family"

"Slytherin", Draco chuckled. Harry laughed lightly, "What are we doing next?"

"Well, the goblins will hurry the process for Seamus and his family, and will get him and his mother residences to other countries and their magical communities, to make it all easier. Seamus' father has several job offers, but there's one in Bulgaria that has caught his attention"

"Your doing?"

"Not really. He did get the attention of the company. I just ensured no others would be taken into account", Harry waved him off with a smirk, "About Neville... well, him being a pureblood is both helpful and not. His entire paperwork is registered in Gringotts, and he could likely start in Stromorth as well, but I'm not sure he will want that. He was anxious enough at Hogwarts, really. Anyway, we can't do it the muggle way, and he is a target to both sides of the war due to his blood and past allegiances"

"The goblins did mention they would take care of it. Are you sure you will just leave them to do everything?"

"Well, they are magical creatures, and their laws are different, and the Ministry won't be able to do anything. So, yeah, I will leave it to them, for the most part. Now, Antonin is helping us with your friends, his son, and his nephew", Harry sighed, "The twins. I don't know... I want them safe, but they have their business here"

"They could always expand, I guess...?" Blaise offered hesitantly, "They're barely starting up. They could always say the opportunity was better abroad. Considering the social and political instability here right now, it's not really a far-fetched excuse to give their parents family. They will have to be careful about the Death Eaters, though, but I'm guessing maybe Charles and William will be wanting to help? And Dolohov, by association, at the very least"

"You're right. But first, we should talk to them. I won't do anything to get them out if they truly want to stay", Harry sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

"Maybe we should eat something first. It has been a rather hectic day", the blond suggested, worrying over his brother (in all but blood by now, though they could be like second or third cousins). Blaise nodded, and Harry didn't argue. They went to Florean Fortescue's and ordered a huge cone for each of them. They enjoyed their treats in a comfortable silence, and just mentioned banal things to keep their heads away from the war brewing in this country. They had used glamours, of course, to hide their features the best they could. Though no one would actually recognize them with all the changes they went through.

Draco had started spending a lot of time outdoors. He wasn't tanned, but his skin wasn't as pale as before, and had a healthier glow to it. The tiredness that had grown on him during the second half of their fifth year was also gone, considering he had gotten out of the stressful situation that had caused it in the first place. He had grown out his hair, which made him look even more like Lucius, just a lot younger. His nose was obviously inherited from Narcissa, as were his ears, but the rest was identical to his father and grandfather.

Blaise, well. His father had died when he was two years old, and that had been the last husband Evangelina had been willing to lose. She never married again, sick of her different husbands dying. She was able to cope better with Blaise. While her son had inherited her stormy grey eyes, the fairly tanned skin and strong features were just like his father's. They had seen pictures of the man, and, quite honestly, Blaise was as much of a carbon copy to his father as Draco was to his own. Harry sometimes wondered if it had something to do with being pureblood. Blaise had also had certain stressed aura around him, mainly when Harry first met him personally in Freiburg, almost at the start of the summer. As the weeks passed, he seemed lighter and more carefree.

He was also in the same situation. While his skin was a healthy light tone, and his eyes green, both features from his mother, the rest of him was pretty much from his father and that side of his family. Growing his hair out had helped him tame it, and the waves made it look more like his mother's hair texture. He was probably the one with the most drastic changes, but he still hadn't been willing to risk it.

The three of them used glamours. Well, Harry put them in place, of course.

They finished their treats, and then left to explore a bit. Harry considered getting another messenger familiar. They were rather handy, to be honest. Or a pet. Maybe a dog? Or a cat? He had Rostov to ride, but maybe a companion for when they were inside the Manor would be good.

They headed to the twins' shop, and started looking around. Business seemed to be rather slow.

"Welcome to Weasley Wizard Wheezes! We just got a new batch of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, with improvements! Also we have a new order of Pygmy Puffs if you'd like", Fred came from one side.

"You're free to check all of our products, all of them have been tested safe!" George came from the other side. Harry stared at them for a good while.

"People will probably need the laughs with everything going on here", he finally said. The twins seemed surprised. Draco and Blaise just nodded, and the three started looking around. Draco decided to take some Canary Creams to feed his father when they went back, and some other jokes. Blaise played it safe and took a set of Wizarding Chess and Exploding Snap. It wasn't as if he needed them, but he wanted to make some business for the two redheads. Harry didn't take anything.

When they were paying, Harry decided to stay behind and made some small talk with the twins.

"Have you tried to get out of England? I mean, expand your business and all?" Harry asked. They shrugged.

"We're good here so far. Business has been slow, but we're hoping to get more before the school term starts. Why?"

"Well, it's a good business, but maybe you could be interested to expand in the continent. Here... well, it seems the brewing war has already started to take its toll, hasn't it?" Harry shrugged, "I'm based in Germany right now, I thought this business could thrive even more there"

The twins exchanged glances.

"We're unsure..."

"If you're offering..."

"Yourself to be our partner..."

"Or a way out..."

"Of this war"

"Perhaps both", was Harry's quick reply.

"Why would you..."

"Care about..."

"Us staying..."

"In England?"

Harry shrugged, but gave them a note.

"Just think about it. You may be adults, but if you don't want to be a part of something, like a war, you should be able to get out. Tap the paper with your wands if you want or need help. It's a portkey for my house in Freiburg. Only you will be able to use it. If someone else tries to do it, well, it won't be pretty", he gave them a small smile, and caught up with Draco and Blaise right out the door.

"They took it?"

"I'm hoping they use it. The note is a registered portkey to the Manor, I explained it to them. Since it comes from the goblins, they shouldn't have any problems to get there"

"They're... interesting", Blaise mentioned. Draco chuckled.

"That's an interesting way to show you're interested in them", the blond said. Blaise blushed.

"I'm totally going to set you up with them", Harry laughed.

"Not fair! That's two against one!"

"Hey, if you're good enough to be attracted to two guys, it shouldn't be a problem to deal with us", Draco shrugged.

They explored a bit more of the alley, going into Flourish & Blotts to get a couple of new books, and then to Quality Quidditch Supplies to see if there was something interesting. After having lunch, they decided to go to Magical Menagerie to look for pets.

Draco and Harry took a Niffler each. The Malfoy heir also chose a magical Red Panda (which was just slightly bigger than the muggle one, but also really tame), and the young lord Potter-Black chose a magical black panther pup.

"The lil' pup was o'phan'd", the shopkeeper said. The pup seemed to take a liking to Harry... mainly his hair. Which made both Draco and Blaise chuckle. Though originally he wasn't going to get a pet, Blaise chose to take a Kneazle crossbreed with a cat, much like Hermione's Crookshanks, but, to be honest this one was prettier. For one, it didn't look like its face had been smashed against a wall.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

The proceedings with getting their friends out of England were, for the most part, easily taken care of. Dolohov was, indeed, a great help to get the Death Eater children effectively smuggled out of the place they were using as a base for the Dark Lord. It was pretty convincing, apparently, that the Death Eater wanted to get some action. Mainly in the form of torture, even though some thought a bit more in the sexual sense. Which had all of them, including the older wizard, frankly disgusted. Considering wizarding age and all, their age difference wasn't taken much into account, but their current ages and the fact that it implied rape was not accepted.

"Draco", Theo breathed out at the sight of the blond heir. Wasting no time, both embraced each other, "Merlin, you're here"

"Not for long. We're getting you all out of England, and out of danger", Draco promised. Theo blushed at the intensity of Draco's eyes, full of determination and promises. He felt hope for a happy future life for the first time since the summer after their fourth year.

"Thank you, thank you so much", he tightened his grip on the blond.

"Uh... I kind of hate breaking your moment, but we have more people coming in, and everyone needs to get ready", Harry shuffled awkwardly. He kind of wished he had someone like Draco and Theo now had each other. It was obvious they were pretty much in love by now, and Harry had never had something like that.

"That pretty much would sum it up. You will have time when we're back home", Blaise added with amusement in his eyes and voice. He was obviously used to this behavior, or expecting it. Or both.

"Harry!" Neville barreled into his best friend, "Merlin, at first I thought it was a bloody joke, and Grams was hysterical at first. She won't be coming, she trusts she will be able to survive a second war, if it's meant to be. Her words. I couldn't make her come"

"She'll be okay. To be honest, I think Bumblebee is scared of her as much as he's scared of Moldyshorts", Harry chuckled, "Now, now, get ready, we're only missing four now"

"Four?" Marcus Flint asked, "We thought..."

"That we were taking only you guys?" Harry cocked an eyebrow, "To be honest, yes, at first, it was mainly to help Draco and Blaise, considering you all are their friends"

"And that they haven't been the nicest people to you", Neville scoffed.

"Yeah, there's that, but, anyway, you think I wouldn't do the same for my friends?"

"Well... Granger and Weasel are not here, so..."

"Oh, you mean the two that were paid to fake being my friends?" Harry asked casually, "No, not those. I don't like backstabbers that much", he shrugged. Four figures appeared before them. Two were redheads, but their features looked a bit more aristocratic at the same time they looked wild. A pale, freckled boy was holding hands with a dark-skinned boy.

"Dean, Seamus!" Neville beamed from his place at the portkeys.

"Charlie, Bill, it's good to see you here", Harry smiled at them, who smiled back.

"Good to see you again, Harry. And thank you for this"

"Considering the few shocks you've gotten for the past weeks, I'm amazed you're taking this shot"

"Well, I want to know my father better for one, at least past the entire 'he's a Death Eater but not what it looks like' thing he has going on, right, father?", Bill looked at Dolohov with a grin. The man just sighed.

"I swear, you got your dad's cheekiness", was his reply, but there was a certain fondness and sadness to his voice, "Is everyone here?"

"Yes"

"Harry, I talked to the twins. Apparently, some stranger gave them a portkey in the form a piece of parchment, as a way to get out of England. They do want out, but aren't sure about that paper"

"Oh, tell them it's safe. It was me, I was wearing glamours", Harry smiled, "They're also getting a boyfriend when they arrive, so they better hurry up"

"Harry!" Blaise complained.

"Everyone ready? Yes? Okay, three, two...!"

"Stop right there!" Dumbledore was storming into Gringotts, Molly behind him, as well as Ron.

"One!", and their faces blurred out as the entire party left England.

* * *

"That was a close call", Harry laughed, "Not close enough, but still. Anyway, welcome to the Freiburg Potter Manor, your new home until you deem it necessary to leave. While you're here, you're under my protection, of course, and we do have responsible adults to take care of us in our times of need. There are few rules. You have to treat the House Elves nicely, say 'please' and 'thank you' as the educated people you are. And for Merlin's sake, please, try to not make a disaster here, okay? I rather like this house, I would like to keep it being livable in. Any questions?"

"Do we have assigned quarters?" Marcus Flint asked.

"Of course, of course. Each one will have their own room. If you're related to each other, it will be close enough for you to check on one another. I will add your magic into the wards while you're asleep tonight, and strengthen them too. No one who is uninvited will come here. For safety, so far only Draco, his parents, my godfather and I are able to directly invite people in. As you may notice, we're quite a big group. And for one, I want everyone to get along, okay? We're not in Hogwarts anymore, there's no more rivalry between houses. And yes, I know that we haven't gotten along for quite a while, or we don't actually know each other, too, but if Draco and I can be like brothers now, there's no reason that you can't do the same, okay? Okay. Marcus, considering you're also an adult, I trust you can be mature enough to take care of others?"

"Yes", he promised.

"Thank you. Each of you will have a personal House Elf that will take care of your needs and wants, as long as you're polite, of course. I need to talk to Theodore Nott Junior, personally, though", Harry finished.

Theo looked at Draco, doubt showing in his face. The blond just smiled softly at him, and placed a kiss on his cheek before nudging him towards Harry.

"Why me?"

"Because Draco loves you, of course. I'm aware of your betrothal situation, and how you father, if he can even be called that, handled it. I'm not your father, and taking into account that he isn't all that happy with your choices right now, I think he would agree with me, and will probably disown you if he can. I doubt it, his line would die. Anyway. The thing is, I've been reading and all about what exactly being and heir to a House means... and, in my case, seeing as I have no biological parents or 'official' guardians, how to be a Lord. So, about three days ago, Blaise was making us know about the situation you lot went through. And I think it's rather obvious how taken Draco is with you, he only really asked about you"

"You're rambling"

"Yes, I am, I'm trying to gather my thoughts and say something that makes sense", Harry took a deep breath, "I read about how a House can take in, uh, an heir to another House. Like, if the home situation isn't good, they can step in and claim them as their ward or something. So, I'm offering you the protection, personally, of the House of Potter. You would technically be my ward, and I would be able to oversee your betrothals without your father being able to disinherit you or do anything about the betrothals that I will destroy, the ones he made. Draco and his family are also under my protection, but on the House of Black account, since Cissy is from that House, but since Lucius and she are alive, and well, Draco's contracts are under Lucius' jurisdiction, so to say. I know that Lucius already tried with your father, and your father declined. I want to know two things from you. First, would you like to have a betrothal contract with Draco? And second, would you accept my offer to be my ward as a good way to get that?"

"Yes, yes! Yes to everything", Theo breathed out, and actually hugged Harry, who, after a moment of confusion, hugged him back.

"The entire thing will be managed by the goblins over here, we don't have to go back to England", he said.

"You have no idea of what that means to me. I was... Merlin, I was going to be taken to be a Death Eater, probably die in the process, with the obligation of having an heir with a woman I would never even be attracted to! And... Merlin, I love Draco... he's everything I could ever need to be happy, I was so resigned to never be able to be with him... thank you, Potter, you... you're amazing"

"Harry"

"Huh?"

"If we're going to be brothers-in-law, call me Harry. And it's really no problem. To be honest, I did this for Draco. He loves you, at least, just as much as you love him. I hope we can grow to be as close as I with him right now. And I do expect nephews or nieces, you know"

Theo spluttered, a bright blush in his face, and Harry chuckled.

"You're really something else", Theo finally said, blushing still, "Would you expect our children to carry the Potter name as well, considering I'll be your ward?"

"No, no worries. I want you to keep your own names. If you want to, I would not complain, but it would be a situation a bit odd to explain in the future. In any case, though, it will fall upon my shoulders providing the Potter and the Black Houses appropriate heirs"

"Do you plan to marry? And have your children?" Theo inquired.

"I would pretty much like that, really", Harry sighed, "I've postponed that particular subject with the excuse of catching up on a lot of other things, but I'm afraid Lucius, Cissy, and Remus will no longer stand my excuses. I do need to have children. Do you happen to know anyone that would, uh, be appropriate?"

"A couple of people, not British, of course", Theo shrugged, "I'm assuming, though, that you would be looking for someone to marry out of love rather than out of convenience?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, considering how caring you are, it was an assumption anyone that anyone that grew up in the political arena would be able to make"

Harry chuckled, but did agree to Theo's assessment. And he knew his stand-in godfather and Draco's parents were pretty much aware of that as well. Those knowing, though, didn't actually make it easier to find someone that he could love, and that could love him back in the same way.

"I'll see what I can do, given the circumstances", Theo added, refraining from yawning. Harry still noticed, though.

"I've entertained you enough. We should sign the papers right now, before your father has a chance of ruining something, okay?"

"Okay. Do you happen to have a cup of coffee? I will not go to sleep until I've read the entire contract"

"Of course. Kreacher", he called, and the house elf popped in.

"What can I do for Master Lord Harry, sir?" the elf asked.

"Please bring Theo a mug with coffee, get ready a dose of counter-caffeine brew too. And I would like a mug of hot chocolate, if you can, please", Harry said.

"Right away, sir!"

Harry sealed the papers, and sent them to the Freiburg's branch for his bank manager to do the necessary paperwork. Including opening a small vault for Theo. It was still a risk that he used England's money abroad, it could give his father information about his whereabouts.

Theo had gone to sleep quite a while ago, to the room in front of Draco's, but Harry was a bit nervous. It was true, he had to look for someone to marry and have children. But he really didn't know a lot of guys that wouldn't only be after his money or title. Truth be told, it was slightly easier to find someone like that out of England, considering few countries cared that much about the British Wizarding War in the past, preferring to stay out of it. Only slightly, though, because he still was the lord to two rather powerful Houses, in the monetary, political, and magical field. People were interested. Harry was nervous... well, maybe a bit afraid.

Afraid that he wouldn't be able to find love and would have to settle for a loveless marriage to produce heirs. It had been almost too painful to watch Draco and Theo embrace each other, and think that he would never have that.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry was pretty much aware he was slightly crankier than he usually was before his morning coffee. Something that, obviously, didn't escape Draco's notice. Not even Blaise's, and it wasn't as if the Italian teenager spent all his days with them. He also was quieter, which was the main indicator that this wasn't the usual crankiness. He was just glaring at his coffee, and silently sipping it, and then biting into an apple with a passion. As if the apple had insulted his parents.

"Harry?" Draco called. He got a grunt in response.

"Why is everything so silent?" Narcissa suddenly entered, "We felt you coming back last night"

"Harry is in a mood... I think", Draco offered hesitantly. Remus entered, his amber eyes lively and his pace almost quick, but as soon as he noticed Harry's mood he frowned.

"Harry?" another grunt, but this time, he did look up from his coffee. Only to see at least six pairs of eyes fixed on him. Remus seemed to notice something else, probably having to do with his werewolf senses, everyone thought, "Would you like to talk about it in private?", Harry gave a sharp nod, standing with his coffee and his apple still in each hand. They went to the study room Harry had set up to read through his duties and catch up with all the properties and businesses, "What's bothering you?"

"Do you think I'll find someone that will love me? Like... that I won't get trapped in a loveless marriage?" Harry asked what had been bothering him the entire night, even when he was asleep. That Hermione, Ron and Ginny had been getting money from his own vaults to even tolerate him and fake their friendship feelings towards him... it was on replay, and sometimes it wasn't their faces, but the Malfoys', Remus', even Neville's. And it hurt, even though he knew, rationally, that none of them were like that.

They loved him without demanding anything from him. And true, the Malfoys needed his protection, but they had approached him honestly about it, and in return had helped him a lot, and cared for him as his relatives should have done.

Remus observed his honorary godson for a while.

"Yes, I think you'll find someone to love, and that loves you back just as much", he said, "What brought this on?"

"It's just... seeing Theo and Draco embrace each other when he came for the portkey... Merlin, they're in love, and it's obvious, and they'll be happy together. And I want that", Harry sighed, "And it just brought old memories back"

"Meaning the betrayal of Hermione and Ron", Remus gave a light growl at the memory of their wrongdoings, "Not everyone is like that, cub. I know it's hard, but you do know this, right?"

"I know, but part of the reasons I've postponed actually contacting someone is because I don't know if they'll only be interested in my name and the houses I'm lord to, or my money. I don't want to be let down like that, yet I'm aware that if I don't send offers, I won't get a chance to have someone"

"You could do it anonymously", Remus offered, "Just say you're lord to two pureblood houses, not which ones, and that you're well off, but don't state your millionaire... or billionaire, or whatever... status. That you're looking for someone to settle down with, and that you don't want to marry only for convenience, but also for love... oh, just in case stupid people miss the 'lord' part, clarify that you're male. And inform if you plan to be the bearer or not"

"Yeah, and that I want a tall, muscular guy to protect me", Harry hummed.

"You don't need protection, but I see why you would want that", Remus snorted. Harry gave him a questioning look, "Harry, you've put your life on the line for a lot of people in your life, people that didn't deserve you... to be honest, you deserve that someone looks after you, even if you're capable of take care of yourself. You actually need to relax and be the one getting pampered for a change. Even though we're here, you're still feeling responsible for all of us, and you're managing everything, you're taking tasks that most adults would even run from. And we try to spoil you, but, well, apparently you haven't realized you're worth all that and more"

Harry was stunned into silence for a good while.

"Remus... thank you. I guess you do know me better than I know myself. I see how that makes sense for me. I like the idea. I promise I can let you and Lucius deal with the adult stuff"

"I think I'll regret my little speech", Remus teased, and both laughed, "So?"

"Would you, uh, help me write my offer? Lucius can polish it and make it sound all formal and a bit less blunt", Harry said.

"His area of expertise. I would be glad to. But, really, go back to your friends. I think Draco is worried about your mood"

Harry nodded, gave him a brief hug, and returned to his place at the table, his mood obviously lighter.

"Out with it", Draco sighed, "Please, Harry, you're giving me a heart attack"

"Oh, fine. I'll send an offer for contracts... today or tomorrow", he announced, and Blaise choked on his orange juice.

"Since when!? You've been postponing it for weeks!" Narcissa squealed, "To whom?! Oh, Merlin, they grow so fast!"

"Well... for now, pureblood families with single, eligible sons and all that, you know", Harry blushed, "I'm making it anonymous"

"Anonymous?" the older Flint inquired.

"I want to avoid the ones that would only go for me because of my name, last names, and vault size", the green-eyed teen shrugged.

"That's actually a good idea", Blaise said after pulling himself together.

"I'm still filtering those offers", Draco muttered, and Theo chuckled.

"You do get all protective over him", he mentioned.

"Of course, he's my little brother!" Draco sniffed, "And he's clueless when people like him, he has only noticed when people are literally trying to kiss him that they like him that way. I've had to scare away a lot of people during our stay here", he added almost as an afterthought, Harry complaining in the background when everyone laughed.

"So... Harry, a couple of the ones here are already, uh, graduated from school, but, what will the rest of us do to finish our schooling?" Theo wondered.

"Well, Blaise, Draco and I are attending Stromorth. If you guys want to apply, I will..." Harry got a pointed look from Remus, "I, well, mama Cissy and Remus can do the necessary arrangements for you to attend with us", he gave a grin to the werewolf, who rolled his eyes in exasperation, "If not, there are several masters around here too. In any case, we have some news..."

"Remus and I visited former classmates and friends of yours, Tracy Davies and Millicent Bulstrode, now Tracy Hatzi and Millicent Dobreva, if I'm not mistaken. They are willing to give you housing if the need or want arises. They are also working to see how to bring more people out of the war, and you would probably could be of some help in that area. You can choose a school in any of these three countries, at least for now, mainly for safety. For the ones who already graduated, well, you can contact masters in a subject of your interest to get an apprenticeship, or look for a job. You will need to be careful, and, preferably, you will use other names until it is safe. The ones that go to schooling do not need to do that, since schools have powerful wards. In the continent, these wards are stronger than Hogwarts' for safety reasons, mainly concerning the wars muggles have had. The territories are easier to get into by land, so they adapted", Lucius explained smoothly.

As Harry predicted, Theo chose to continue his education in Stromorth. Him being a ward to one of the students (Harry) and officially the intended of another (Draco) just made the process quicker. Oh, of course they still did the necessary tests to see if he was eligible for entrance in the first place, but once he was proven to be powerful enough, the enrolling had been made much easier.

Neville would have been eligible, but he had actually applied to be an apprentice to a famous Herbologist. He had been accepted almost right away, mainly because he was truly passionate about the subject, and had done extensive investigation (which he had submitted along with his application letter) on his own about a lot of existing plants and possible uses in combination of other substances.

Marcus Flint went to try and get into a local Quidditch team. It wasn't the German national team, of course, but it paid well, and he was pretty good at it. Well, he was better than at Hogwarts, mainly because he wasn't punching his way to victory. The paperwork had been handled well by the team manager, who was the only one that knew his real name. He had changed it for Marcel Fitzgerald. It wasn't too elegant, and the last name was not exactly famous, so it was deceiving enough.

The younger Flint decided to apprentice as Healer in the nearest wizarding hospital, and he was happy enough. No one had really even known about his existence before the war issue, considering he had gone to Durmstrang and had not been part of the group that had gone to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, since he was so young. Going under the radar was slightly easier for him, but he still changed his name to Paul Fitzgerald. He would keep being Marcus' brother under their new identities.

The Rosier brothers were somewhat a myth around Hogwarts. Both attended Durmstrang, under the guidance of Igor Karkaroff. The had to go back to England when Felix turned seventeen, so he could claim his inheritance and lordship, and take care of his brother without outside sources meddling. He already was a Charms Master, and Runes Expert, on his way for the Master as well. Eli, six years younger than him, decided to apply with 'Paul Fitzgerald' to the Healer apprenticeship at the same hospital.

Bill went to the local Gringotts branch to see if he could work for them here, and was glad to find that given the circumstances of his 'transfer', he still had his job, and, even better, had gotten a little raise in pay. He was promised that if he was a good employee here, he could be promoted as Chief Curse Breaker. Which made him rather happy.

Charlie had gone looking for a place that might need a dragon handler, but there were few reservations close to the Potter Manor, and he pretty much felt safer thinking he was close to it. Ever since Bill and he had found about their true parentage and how they became Weasleys, they had developed disgust for their so-called parents, and were glad they weren't quite under any obligation to tolerate their 'siblings'. Save from the twins, they weren't very nice people. And along the disgust, they had started to be paranoid around them, and sometimes even when out for business or work. Bumblebee and the Weasley marriage thought they had erased their memories of finding out their origins and what happened to their biological fathers, but both, for work-related safety reasons, had charms preventing memory spells from working on them. They remembered everything that had happened.

Charlie found a pureblood family that needed a caretaker for their exotic magical creature collection, and though it wasn't dragons, a unicorn, a hippogriff and two occamys were tempting enough. They paid well, really well, and their manor wasn't really far away.

Dean decided to apply for Stromorth and other schools, the same as Seamus. They were accepted into Stromorth as well, but Seamus decided to become a Runes apprentice under the older Rosier's guidance, while Dean did enroll at Stromorth to graduate. Dean wrote to his parents, using one of the Potter owls to deliver his letter. Seamus had gotten a letter from his mother, saying his father had gotten a job in Bulgaria and they were moving there.

* * *

In Harry's eyes, no matter what Remus said, he was still responsible for the people he had brought with him. He gave each something wearable that acted as a personalized emergency portkey to the Manor. He knew they wanted safety too, even if just Bill and Charlie had even voiced those concerns. Neville was, so far, the only one that ventured beyond the thousand kilometer radius. The master he would be apprenticing under lived near the Rhine, in Lörrach. It was really close to France and Switzerland. An earring for Bill had been easy enough to get, same with Charlie. For the rest, most got a necklace or a bracelet that concealed themselves or even sunk into their skin (with no pain) so no one could remove them, and for them to not get in the way of their work.

After an entire day shopping for school supplies for the five that were going to attend Stromorth, they were all relaxing a bit in the Manor's playroom, that mainly consisted of a heavily warded room where they could perform magic on several objects and just have some fun.

"You know, even if we know the war is going on, I don't think we'll have too much trauma", Dean mentioned, "We left before everything got completely out of hand in a way we wouldn't be able to handle"

"All in all, we are teenagers, too. I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, sending Harry to do the dirty work and kill the snake-face idiot", Blaise snorted, "We would've helped, probably our choices would've been little if we had stayed, and some of us, well, we would've ended up serving that madman, just to stay alive"

"Not entirely sure that would've worked anyway. Moldyshorts isn't exactly known to be kind to his Death Munchers", Draco added with a sigh, running his fingers through Theo's hair, thinking how lucky they were.

"Probably too true", his intended muttered, "Where's Harry?"

"Sending out offers with dad and Remus. Dad polished the letters, verbally speaking. He doesn't have to check how the handwriting is anymore. I swear, he had chicken scrawls", the blond replied, and the mood lightened.

"Do you have any idea of the names?" Dean asked.

"I have an idea. I know that Viktor Krum is in the list. There's also Darrian Moraitis, Klaus Neumark, and Jean-Philippe Rochett, but I'm not sure if they thought of more"

"I'm assuming those are other pureblood lords or heirs in the continent?" Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes"

"And do you know if they would be good for Harry?" Seamus spoke up for the first time. He had been listening, preferring to just cuddle into Dean's side as much as possible. Neville was observing as well, mainly because he was a bit tired.

"Not really. Even though we're familiar with them, it isn't as if we were actually friends with them. We don't know them that well", Theo sighed.

"The only one I don't think would be even worth the parchment to make the offer is Darrian Moraitis", Neville surprised everyone with this, and "I'm not friends with any of them. Moraitis is a year younger than us, but is already known to be a playboy, with both men and women, be it in his social sphere or not. Lord Hatzis spoke highly of him, so I must guess he's a great friend, but still leaves a lot to be desired in the formal dating department. I'm sure he's a nice person, just not someone who would do Harry any good. He does have self-esteem issues, and having someone with a history of seducing anyone will just create doubts in his head, even when unfounded"

"That is actually... great insight", Draco frowned, "Not to mention Harry needs someone who can pamper him, and protect him. With him being older than Darrian, it would not work out that way either. Do you know anything else about the other two, Neville?"

The brunette nodded.

"Neumark goes to all the social functions, has a lot of friends and allies, but in all he isn't one to be involved in scandals or affairs. Apparently, and I know this secondhand, he isn't all lively and leans more to the quiet side, and likes to have time to relax, preferably reading in his manor. He's four years older than us, single, but hasn't accepted any offers, which is slightly discouraging for our case. It seems he's quite powerful, too, so that would be a pro", was his answer.

"And Rochett?"

"I don't know much about him. Like Neumark, his family is well known, respected, and powerful. He's two years older than us. He has an older brother, Jean-Marc. Both are cultured, as far as I know, and not hungry for attention, calm enough. I know Dolohov will try to contact the older one for Charlie"

"Where did that come from?" Theo frowned.

"Charlie wants to settle down. Bill and he have gone through wild travels already, and the latest, with the war, hasn't been easy on them. They were raised to hate people like Dolohov, who is their father and uncle, and only came to realize that the ones that were supposed to care for them and love them had killed their own family"

"Will Bill be sending out offers too?" Blaise asked.

"Not really", Neville chuckled, "Felix Rosier requested Dolohov's permission two days ago to court Bill, with Bill's consent, of course"

"And you, Neville?" Seamus inquired with a smirk. Neville blushed.

"Marcus Flint asked if he could court me", he muttered.

"Really?" Draco perked up, "You know you're the only attempt he's ever made to look for someone? His father was about to transfer the Heirship to his brother, seeing his disinterest in everything. We thought no one would catch his eye..."

"For real?"

"With his dirty moves in Quidditch and all, he was all serious out of that. Like, sure he acted like a bully, but it was mainly to please his father. Within the house, though, he just studied, barely talked to anyone aside from Adrian Pucey, and in the balls and all he only bothered to dance with his mother, for like, one or two dances", Blaise explained with a shrug.

"I think he thought no one would feel attracted enough to him to accept", Theo said.

"Oh... but he's... well, he's handsome. Even back in school, in the middle of puberty", Neville blushed, "Maybe not in the conventional way, but..."

They burst out laughing.

"Really, why anyone thought any of us were straight is beyond me", Seamus cackled.

That's how Harry found them when he came up to announce dinner was ready.

* * *

Dinner had become quite an event ever since the others had come to live with the Malfoys and Harry. Theo always sat either by Draco's side, or on Draco's lap, much to everyone's amusement. Draco swore Theo was part cat. Lucius and Narcissa didn't even try to tell them if it was appropriate or not by now. Harry always sat at the head of the table, while Draco was at his right.

While Blaise joined them occasionally, it was now daily. So much that Eve and Blaise had moved into the manor as well, to avoid travelling all the time via Floo. Something about precious lungs. Blaise sat to Draco's right unless Theo had decided to quit his cat antics of being in Draco's lap in favor of a chair. On Harry's left, it was either Lucius, Remus, or Narcissa, but it was mostly the former two, with Narcissa and Eve always talking.

Somehow, when the rest came, they had set themselves up. Dolohov sat beside Lucius, mostly, since he was a familiar presence, and a friend to him. Sometimes he also sat by his son and nephew. They had developed, perhaps not the conventional father-son or uncle-nephew relationships, since they met when the two redhead were already adults and with little need of raising or corrections, but they treated each other as family. Charlie had asked Dolohov to help him settle down, which had Dolohov almost crying in joy, thinking none of them would even want to have his input in that matter, or that they wouldn't want to do it in a more pureblood way instead of the 'date-engage-marry' the light side was prone to.

Felix Rosier always sat by Bill, forever being the attentive boyfriend to the wild-looking redhead. It was mainly the happiness they showed when together, consciously or not, that actually made Charlie want to have someone like that too, hence asking the only man he felt he could turn to for such things. It was oddly soothing to have Dolohov, in a way. He wasn't smothering, but still showed he cared in a lot of ways. At first they thought it was just because they reminded him of the man he lost, but then he pointed out that Bill was also his own son, and Charlie would've been raised as his nephew had the circumstances let them even meet in a positive light. They were family.

Flint had slowly started sitting closer to Neville, and, since the former Gryffindor accepted his courting, he always sat by his side. Dean and Seamus, well, obviously they had been sitting together since they came, though they were the first to be more comfortable with parting with each other during the meals. As long as they were on the same room.

It was something the adults had noticed. Part of being together most of the time was romantic, sure, but it was more on the side that they had just escaped a brewing war, where being apart meant you didn't know if they would come back to you or not.

They noticed they had starting practicing not seeing each other during the day, of course, with most of them working or taking apprenticeships in different places, but dinner was their reassurance that they were still there.


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Harry Potter. I do own the characters you don't recognize.**

Harry received the answer to his letters two days after he sent them. By now, only he and the ones going to Stromorth remained in the manor during the day. The ones with apprenticeships or jobs, of course, left daily for them.

"Atlas is coming with a letter, Harry", Draco pointed out, "And Talik apparently", he added, seeing his golden eagle approaching with Harry's northern goshawk, "I supposed you sent Frois as well?"

"Yes, I sent her to Moraitis. She came back yesterday with a 'no thanks'. Well, obviously it was longer and polite and all, but that was what it said in the end", Harry shrugged, "To be honest, dad said he wouldn't be much of a good candidate at the moment, so it wasn't as if it bothered me"

"Atlas?"

"I sent him to Neumark, and Talik went to Rochett. I used Nero for Krum", Harry clarified. Atlas landed on a low perch Blaise transfigured for both Talik and him, closely followed by the golden eagle. Both extended their legs, and got a couple of treats in return when Harry took the letters from them. Both screeched happily, and took off for their spots in the owlery.

_'Dear anonymous Lord,_

_I hope you are well. I must say I was surprised by your letter, as well as intrigued by it. I don't know if you are aware I have rejected all the offers I have received. Receiving more, for the time being, seemed unlikely, but this was pleasant change in plans. You mentioned your age, sixteen, which made me curious. You sound more mature than I would imagine people your age are. I do not want to pry, but I guess you became lord with rather unfavorable circumstances. Whichever they were, I give you my condolences, if they are welcome._

_Answering your request, my decision was to accept it. I wish to meet you, perhaps in your own grounds, if you're willing to. I do not wish to impose. If you decide to go forward to courting, or change your mind and retract your offer, please let me know._

_You can send red sparks into this letter to indicate a rejection, and yellow to accept and start a courting. If you send green sparks, I will be automatically portkeyed to your location._

_Best wishes, my dear, _

_Klaus Neumark_

_Heir to the Arcane and Noble House of Neumark'_

"Well, you know he's powerful enough to get portkeyed if you send sparks to a letter he wrote. That takes serious skills", Theo hummed, and "He sounds pretty interested. I mean, reading this as a pureblood..."

"I noticed that too. He even send condolences for the circumstance to get my lordships", Harry nodded his agreement, and "I wonder what Rochett wrote"

_'Dear anonymous Lord,_

_I wish you are well. I imagine your need for being anonymous is linked to people being interested in your title and money, even more so considering you are Lord of two Houses. I want to make you aware, I care little for fortune or titles, heaven knows it can be more trouble than it's worth. My father would probably cringe at what I'm writing, but it's true. I would like to meet you in person, and see if we can go towards courtship, or even marriage._

_In case that last sentence was not clear, I do accept your offer. In case you change your mind, please send a letter stating so; if you accept, do the same, or in person if you so desire. I enclosed a silver fleur-de-lis in this missive. If you want to meet me, tap it with your wand and say my name, and I will be portkeyed to your location._

_Best regards, _

_Jean-Philippe Rochett_

_Second Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Rochett'_

"He sounds a bit livelier, maybe less formal than Neumark, but he is also interested", was Draco's assessment.

"So... should I... should I summon them now? We have a few weeks left until we have to go to school, I would like to meet them before then", Harry hesitated.

"What about Krum?" Dean asked.

"I don't even know if he'll want to, you know, accept my offer. He's already famous, and maybe he thinks me being a lord won't let him get out of the social scene in the way he wants to", Harry shrugged.

"That can be true, but he could also not care about that", Theo replied, "In any case, did you put a time limit for their reply?"

"I think dad did, though I can't quite remember which the limit was"

"Our messenger familiars won't spend more than two days in the recipient's house unless stated otherwise", Draco said, "So they would've had to write their replies in less than that. This means that these replies were almost instantly made, as soon as they read the offer"

Harry bit his lower lip. He did want to meet his two prospects, though he felt leaning more towards Klaus Neumark. Perhaps it was because he was already living in the same country.

"Hard time picking one of them?" Blaise asked, and got a nod from Harry, "Summon them, get to know them before we have to get to school, and start a courtship with the one you pick"

Harry took a deep breath, and sent green sparks to Klaus's letter, and then called Jean-Philippe's name to the fleur-de-lis.

Two men popped into existence right before the group of five, and Harry took the time to appreciate their appearances, both made great first impressions.

Both were taller than Harry, even with the latter's growth spurt he had at Gringotts weeks ago, and broader too. Magical power was obvious in both, it seemed just fitting their fairly muscular build.

One had long straight hair that went to almost half his back, and was loosely tied at the start of his shoulders. Somehow his features were strong, but soft at the same time. Slightly pointed nose, light skin, and a pair of mint eyes that seemed to be able to read minds without even trying. Dark green robes went nicely with his eyes and champagne blond hair, at least that was what Harry thought.

The other one, on the other hand, had light golden hair, short (brush cut, was it?). Straight Grecian nose, light skin, and what seemed to be shimmering gray eyes. Not even Draco's pale blue eyes were that light. He was not wearing robes, but part of what looked like a muggle suit, with the dress pants, white shirt, and elegant shoes.

"I'm assuming someone here is the one who sent the offer for a contract?" the one with short hair inquired, "Pleasure seeing you, Jean-Philippe. I assume Jean-Marc is in good health?"

"Yes, and he is courting now", the one with the long hair replied, "So, please tell us who you are?" he eyed the group. Both newcomers saw the blond that seemed to be taken, and the two dark-skinned ones that just seemed to be watching with interest, but perhaps not the right kind of interest. And then, the one with black hair and bright green eyes. He was handsome, and his features were soft, gentle. His eyes were shiny, but still showed a maturity that was not usual in all teenagers... if any teenagers had it.

"I... I'm the one who sent the request", Harry stood. Okay, so they were at least half a head taller than him, that didn't seem fair, "These are my... well, friends, family in all but blood"

"Save from me, I'm his second cousin or something like that", Draco smiled in a rather threatening way.

"May we have your name?"

Harry hesitated.

"Harry James Potter-Black", he said. Some kind of understanding dawned on them.

"I see your fellow English people, save from the ones here, and have not done nothing positive? I mean, for you to dislike your fame so much"

"They're fickle. Love me one second, and call for my blood the next", Harry shrugged, "I had to get used to it"

"Well, you can always sue them for slandering your name. You were a minor, they had no right", Klaus replied, "I'm Klaus Neumark"

"And I'm Jean-Philippe Rochett. You summoned both of us to accept the contracts? I guess you're aware you can only have two?"

"You two are the only ones I will accept. I've been postponing sending out offers since the beginning of summer", Harry explained.

"And he finally decided to send the offer to someone", Blaise sighed, standing with the other three, "We are his friends, and, as he said, family in all but blood. Do something we don't like, hurt him, and we will come down on you like wolves"

"I don't think Remus would appreciate you making those puns without him present to add to the effect", Harry rolled his eyes.

"We can reinforce the idea later", the half-Italian shrugged, "We'll leave you three alone, not unwatched, so you can talk about your possible future"

The other four guys left.

"Your friends are interesting. The blond was Draco Malfoy, right?" the French heir asked.

"Yes. His mother is my godfather's cousin. She and her husband are like parents to me by now. Can I call you Pip? Your name is kind of long"

"Sure", Pip laughed.

"Are there any questions you have?"

"I think we both want to know you better, at least. We only know your name and houses", Klaus replied. Harry nodded.

"As you probably know, my parents were murdered when I was one. I was sent to live with my mother's sister and her family, a husband and a son a year older than me, all Muggles. For now, I'll only say they weren't the nicest people to grow up with"

"Abusive", Klaus said almost casually. Harry decided to ignore the comment.

"I started Hogwarts at eleven, of course, got sorted into Gryffindor. Draco, Theo, and Blaise were sorted into Slytherin, and Dean was with me. Slytherins and Gryffindors usually do not get along well, so you can imagine that the friendship I have now with Draco didn't even exist. We butted heads quite a few times. However, recently I was made aware I had two lordships waiting. My godfather, former Lord Black, named me his heir, hence my Black Lordship. He passed away when I was fifteen. I discovered, along with all my lord duties, a number of manipulations, lies, and betrayals. Draco and his parents helped me get away from them. I assume you know the brewing war back in England. I was supposed to kill the 'Dark Lord' because of a prophecy"

"Your life defined for something so volatile?" Pip muttered, frustrated. Harry ignored that as well.

"In any case, I decided that I would not fight for people that loved me one second and then wanted to throw me into Azkaban for lying about the Dark Lord's return. The people I used to care about as family were the ones that betrayed me, so I really had not much people left to turn to there... and Draco and his family asked for my help to get away from the war. We came to this manor, of course, and here we are"

"Your other friends, how did they come?"

"Ah... we kind of rushed into England again to get them out. My honorary godfather, Remus, an old friend from my parents and my godfather, came with us as well, but he lives in a cottage most of the time, especially around the full moon. In case that doesn't tell you anything, he's a werewolf. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you can leave"

Both heirs chuckled.

"We're both okay with that. Other than the full moon, they're normal people the rest of the month", Klaus replied, "I see we're in Freiburg, close to the Black Forest. I assume you like nature?"

"It's relaxing", Harry conceded.

"You're sixteen, but legally an adult. Do you plan to finish your education with tutors, or another school? Or will you take an apprenticeship? Or do you prefer to stay as a house-husband?" Klaus inquired.

"I'm attending Stromorth to graduate, with the ones that were with me", he said, "After that, I plan to get a Mastery in Charms and Dark Arts, as well as Defense, but I will get Masters to teach me here. I want the mastery, but I'm pretty sure I'll just be a stay at home dad. I still have to manage both Houses, that's enough work as it is. And until the war in England is over, I want to be able to protect my family to the best of my abilities", Harry explained.

"Are you looking to settle before or after your masteries?" Pip asked.

"Before. I've spent my life fighting, for the most part, I just want some peace. Normality"

Klaus nodded.

"Harry, I can't tell you how I appreciate your offer. I'm now unsure, though, if I'll be the right person for you. While I really like you, I would prefer if we remained friends. I imagine you haven't made many new friends around here", Pip said. Harry nodded with a smile.

"I would like that", he turned to look at Klaus, who gave him a soft smile.

"I would really like if we start courting, Harry", he said, "I'm looking, pretty much, for the same things as you. And, trust me, I will die before I let you or anyone in our family to get hurt"

Harry blushed intensely.

"I... yes, I would like courting", he said. Pip laughed.

"This guy has rejected everyone, and you send only one letter and you have him. You really are especial, Harry", he said, "Klaus, beware, Harry is my friend too now. I can hurt you if you hurt him"

"Not that I plan to do it, but I'm okay with that", Klaus rolled his eyes. He offered his hand to Harry, who took it. He was pulled into a warm hug, and after a while, they sealed it with a soft kiss.

Pip left shortly after that, promising to write before they left for Stromorth. Klaus, on the other hand, had called one of his house elves to get some changes for clothes, and Harry had arranged for him to have a room in the manor. It wasn't too close to his own room, considering how everyone was trying to protect Harry's virtue, apparently. Harry had all but rolled his eyes at how protective his friends were, but didn't complain too much. It was a way to show him how they cared for him.

Klaus understood, but still wanted to talk to Harry about how their lives would be. How were they to remain in contact and have dates while he was in school?

"You look like you have questions, Klaus", Harry chuckled after helping him get accommodated.

"Quite a bit", the German admitted, "For now, I think the most important one is how are we going to spend time with each other while you're at school?"

"It's only one year, though", Harry frowned.

"I was hoping we could be married after your graduation, since you mentioned wanting to marry before your masteries. Unless you plan to have a break before that. I can adjust to your needs"

"After graduation sounds good to me. Are you that optimistic that I'll accept?" the younger man seemed amused. The older one shrugged.

"You're still free to refuse. I'm just telling you the best case scenario for now. There are some things I do want to discuss with you, though. While I'm actually happy you are your own person, and have friends that are like your family, do I have to expect to be interrupted every time we're alone?"

"Don't worry about that, they know when to stop. If not, they'll learn", Harry's smirk was both sweet and threatening, which caused his intended to laugh.

"Okay. Do you have an idea of the amount of children you want to have? You mentioned you want to be the bearer"

"Yes. As is traditional, I will need one heir for each of my Houses, as you will need one for your House. It works for me, I wanted at least three children, but I'm open to have more. Around six"

Klaus choked on his coffee.

"Six? And what would define the final amount?"

"How much sex we have, I guess", Harry shrugged. Klaus nodded.

"Our kids will be perfect"

"Our firstborn will be your Heir, our second will be the Potter Heir, and our third will be the Black Heir. The Black House is older, but there are other candidates that could take the lordship in case I'm unable to provide with one. Charlie is first in line, and Draco second so far"

"Who is Charlie?"

"Regulus' son with Gideon Prewett. Ah. Regulus was Sirius' younger brother", Harry clarified, "Jean-Marc Rochett is his intended now, he should be arriving later this week", he took a sip from his tea, "I know this is being done in all the official capacity, but do you think we could try to make this work as a couple that is in love? Or, well, the entire process of this not being just for convenience?"

Klaus was both surprised by the request, and happy about it.

"Part of the reason I refused the offers was because they only wanted business, join houses, money, dowry, and what not. Never with feelings. I would like to do this with feelings... very much", Harry hesitated, but placed a kiss on his cheek, "We just kissed outside, you know", Harry blushed, but placed his lips against Klaus's. The kiss deepened, until they had to catch their breaths, not getting away from each other, "You're a good kisser"

"Really? Thank you", a blush crept again to Harry's cheeks, and Klaus gave a groan.

"And your blushes will probably be the death of me, you look too cute"

"Cute?!"


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Klaus discovered Harry was not a hard person to love, to be honest. He was kind, and generous, and worried about others. Not to mention he had little details for him. He mentioned he liked strawberries, like, once, and there had been homemade strawberry marmalade (done by Harry himself) the next day, for breakfast. And fresh strawberries for him to snack on from time to time. Not even his parents had been really attentive towards him. It felt odd, but good.

Harry also was happy with simple gestures, as well as hugging and cuddling. He was very tactile, and Klaus didn't mind. He was happy to provide the cuddles and hugs necessary.

At first, their conversations were mostly questions they had about each other, what they had planned for their lives, things that would be acceptable during courtship or marriage. However, they grew bored quickly with all that, which caused them to drift to their likes and dislikes, playing chess (and Harry getting his ass kicked at it), flying on brooms, spending time with family and friends. Klaus seemed to fit right into their big family. He had also come to learn the details of how everyone ended up in the manor, and he too was upset by what they had been through before coming. He was especially sympathetic towards Harry, and he felt the urge to add more wards to the manor, if anything just to be reassured his intended was not going to be kidnapped or killed.

"You're... approved", Lucius drawled, "You make Harry happy. I'm assuming you know of his upbringing?"

"I know they were abusive, I inferred that when we first met. It tends to happen when wizarding kids go to live with Muggles. If they are obsessed about religion and normalcy, well, they are not fit to care for them, they could be harmful. It's not even healthy, considering sometimes an obscurus is formed because of it. I don't want to pressure Harry into telling me, he will do so when he's ready, or when he deems it necessary. For now, I can only try to undo the damage they did in some ways, and try my best at making Harry happy", Klaus replied. Lucius smirked.

"You... you are a good man for him", he answered, "Have you talked about what you'll do when he's in Stromorth?"

"Yes. I have requested entrance to the school to visit him every weekend, and to be able to leave the grounds with the promise to return him two hours before his first class on Monday begins. It was approved three days ago"

"That was quick"

"I'm an alumni there, with honors", Klaus shrugged with amusement, which had Lucius impressed.

"Four years ago?"

"Five. I was one year ahead. I had to learn to control my magical core and power a bit earlier. My accidental magic was wild", the young adult said.

"Klaus!" Harry ran to his already waiting arms, "Guess what! Felix and Bill are getting married! Two months! You'll be my date to their wedding, right?"

"Of course, darling", that earned him a kiss. Lucius cleared his throat.

"Sorry", Harry was not sorry, obviously, "Do you want to go to town?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you would like to meet my parents"

Harry gaped.

"Of course! Today? Let me just pack something, I made lemon pie! Or cookies, what do they like?"

"Harry, you'll win my father over with a bottle of Kirschwasser, and my mother with a new flower for her garden", Klaus was amused.

"They do know we're, uh, courting, right?"

"Yes, of course. I let them know the next day"

* * *

Harry still hated portkey, but it was the only way to be able to visit Klaus' parents and leave the same day without being back home too late. And it wasn't as tiring as apparition. Harry still hated apparition more than the portkeys.

Klaus' manor was huge. It had spacious rooms that sometimes looked even bigger because they were connected instead of divided by walls. It was decorated with a lot of art, from paintings, to sculptures, and the furniture was more on the classic side, but it was still practical. Harry loved it, to be honest.

"You like it?"

"Yes", Harry smiled, "Your parents?"

"They're in my father's wing", he guided Harry towards his father's part of the manor, and went into a living room. Two people were sitting on the same couch, without touching, but noticeably close to each other, "Father, mother", Klaus greeted, "This is Harry, my intended"

"Was about time you accepted a request", his father did not seem amused, and Harry felt suddenly uncertain.

"Harry, it is a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure. I'm Elle, and this bitter man is Hans, my husband"

Elle was a beautiful woman, Harry could really appreciate her looks. It was hard to determine if Klaus' blond hair came from her or if they came from her husband, it seemed to be both. Her lilac eyes were shinning, seemingly happy, but also assessing him. The British teen didn't feel intimidated much, to be honest, but he knew better than to underestimate any pureblood... by birth or by marriage, the pureblood family members were not people one would like to mess with unless you were sure you could win. And this was Klaus' mother. Nope, Harry wouldn't want to cross his in-laws... for now.

Hans was far more serious than Elle. His eyes were a warm honey shade, but they weren't really warm themselves. The haircut he sported was even shorter than Klaus', and he had an almost military feel to his presence... Harry resisted the urge to square his shoulders and salute, to some extent.

"Thank you, the pleasure is all mine. I... brought you this..." he took out the Kirschwasser bottle. Hans' eyes were a bit sharper, but he gave an approving nod as he received his bottle. Elle received a pot with a rather exotic-looking flower, "I have a good friend, and he's currently studying for his Mastery in Herbology. He created this hybrid between a Mandrake and a muggle rose. They don't shriek, but they sing, and many of the Mandrake's magical properties were kept, just a bit diluted. They don't smell like roses, but the smell is like molasses"

Elle's eyes shone brighter.

"Thank you so much! I will love to add this to my garden. Do you have any instructions on its care?" she asked. Harry nodded, and handed her a rolled parchment.

"There's all the information Neville, my friend, was able to recollect about the plant, including its care and properties", he explained.

"Thank you", Elle repeated, taking the parchment with a smile. Hans seemed to hesitate, at least as much as he could considering his face was impassive.

"Thank you. You chose well", he said, "Welcome to our family", he added. Harry blinked, slightly surprised, but Klaus managed to hide his shock really well, "I'm proud of you and your choice of future spouse, Klaus. Please do stop by as often as you can, whenever you want"

"Thank you, Father", Klaus replied, "We need to leave now, but we will be coming here when we are able to", he added, "Harry?", he offered his arm to his intended, who took it with no hesitation, and seconds later felt the squeeze of an apparition. They were back in his manor, but Klaus seemed thoughtful. Well... somewhat. Harry was training himself to be able to read his future husband. His face almost never gave anything away, nor did his voice. He noticed the little details mainly in his eyes, which was slightly weird for him.

"Klaus? Is something wrong?" he decided to ask. The German heir hesitated, and Harry dully noted how much like his father he looked at that moment.

"Nothing wrong, per se, just... odd", was his reply, "My parents aren't usually this... accepting... of anything that has to do with... me, in general", and Klaus frowned.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked softly, holding him by his arms in worry.

"Can we talk in your office? The privacy charms... would help"

After placing half a book worth of privacy charms in Harry's home office, they took a seat in front of the still unused fireplace, with tea for Harry and coffee for Klaus, and a plate of mini sandwiches and mini cupcakes. They were silent for a while, Klaus seemed to be trying to get his thoughts together, and Harry waited patiently for him to be ready to share.

"My parents were an arranged marriage, as many purebloods still practice, mainly out of tradition. They had me six years into their marriage, my mother had trouble conceiving at first, not that they were trying that much. I think they grew to tolerate each other that can tend to happen when you live with someone long enough. I don't remember much of a childhood with them. They just weren't, and really aren't, the 'involved and loving' kind of parents, to be honest. Today was much of a shock to me as it was to you, pretty much. I had a governess on my early years, and then a tutor. I only met my parents for social functions where I was to act as a pureblood Lord, even if I was four years old. When I started showing powerful magic at three, though, my tutor suggested I applied to a school early. My parents seemed happy to be able to show me off like some kind of... animal. Magical animal. Stromorth sent a tutor to help my current one so I could develop my core properly. I was still too young to attend the school. But they let me start a year earlier, so I guess it paid off. My parents only liked to brag about my abilities, but never actively participated in my life or in my accomplishments. I guess... I just felt abandoned by them. I don't like them much, to be honest. I was just a pawn for them to be in the high society, social and intellectual alike, and remain there. Never mind that our family has been active on both since before our country was even formed. I guess... I just don't like them. I was worried about how they would be when you met them, if they would start questioning you about what our family could gain from my union to you, and would you gain from our union. They've done so with most of my friends, if I ever took them to meet my parents. Today shocked me, and it just... unsettles me", Klaus' pale eyes were swirling with several emotions, the main one being suspicion with confusion, closely followed by nervousness.

Harry placed a hand over his.

"We don't have to visit them more than you want to, Klaus. They would surely meet our children, but we don't have to socialize more than you want with them. If it's not okay with you, I will not question you. You know them better than I do, so I'm trusting you", he said softly. Klaus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and relaxed, opting to set his head on Harry's lap, much to the young lord's amusement.

"Thank you. I didn't know if you would insist... since... your parents... and our kids..."

"That since they're the only grandparents they could actually get that I would push you to be with them as much as possible? No way. I know how blood family can barely be given that name", his eyes were momentarily sad, "But they will have Lucius and Cissy, and a whole lot of uncles, at least two aunts. We will have our own family, Klaus, and our children will be loved, by both of us, by our family, and nothing will prevent that from happening. You're an amazing man, and you deserve happiness"

Klaus gave him a soft smile.

"I love when you get passionate to reassure others, you know. I love how you truly care", he lifted himself to peck Harry's lips, and then went back to Harry's lap, with the younger one blushing like a cherry, "Kirsche, I told you your blushes will kill me one day"

"Idiot", but he was smiling too much for Klaus to even feign being hurt.


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

Their remaining days together, until Harry had to go to Stromorth, were mostly spent with the Malfoys, Remus, Theo, Blaise, and Dean. They also wanted to know Klaus better, though Draco, Theo and Blaise were the most reserved at first. They were keen on making sure the German had good intentions, and being 'trained' as purebloods, they just knew how to make his life difficult. Harry was annoyed at best, seething at worst. His glares and magic spurts were not helping their case.

"You do know I was aware of what I was getting into since you first called me here, right? They have been protective over you for a while, it's not just now", Klaus seemed to be amused for the most part, but there were times he was irritated, mostly due to how upset Harry got when they were trying to wind him up.

"And I appreciate they care, but, honestly? I just want to enjoy this for now. Being in Stromorth will not be helpful to get us to spend more time together. I know you can visit, and we can go on dates, but I will still have to study and practice, and I just feel like I'll be overwhelmed with everything and that I won't be able to really spend time with you. And you're doing your best to tolerate them, and it's not fair!" Klaus, for the first time, got to see Harry in a more... childish way, he was... pouting. It was odd, Harry was usually like an adult in the body in a teenager. Right now he seemed to be more his age. It was a good change, though he hoped it didn't become a custom.

"Kirsche, it's okay. They won't bother you once you are in school. If they... 'grill' you for information on our dates, and distract you from your schoolwork to do so, I can always... talk to the principal", the smirk Klaus had on his lips sent a shiver down the English teenager's body. It only reaffirmed his suspicion that Klaus would've been the king of Slytherin had he attended Hogwarts. Not even Draco could out-Slytherin him.

"Don't kill them", Harry smiled, and stopped his pacing, "How was Stromorth? I know you're a magic genius, so it was easier for you, but, like, for an average wizard?"

"Harry, dear, you do realize an average wizard can't attend that school, right?" Klaus outright laughed, causing another pout from his intended, "For real, dear, even among powerful wizards, you are especial. I know about your mother's sacrifice, and I will not downplay that, but for something like that to work, against a killing curse, the one in the sacrifice must be powerful, but the receptor of the power must have at least twice as much power to handle the burst, you know. Your parents' magic was strong, probably since they were young. You inherited that power... combined, at birth, and the magic your mother left you... it was great part of hers. If you don't breeze through your classes, even in Stromorth, our first date outside will be going to a Healer and check for blocks"

"I already got rid of those. That was, uh, the reason for my mediocre development in Hogwarts. I just... I don't know how to do better than that... not yet, at least, and I'm worried I'll have to..."

"To leave", Klaus got serious, and stood from the armchair to hold Harry, who was still standing in the middle of the rug, close to the fireplace, "Harrison, if you struggle to write essays and such, you can ask for help. The ability to do magic, or to have a powerful core, does not translate into being able to write it down. Understand it, yes, but not writing it down. Putting your thoughts into words can be sometimes the hardest part of non-oral communication. And about being able to understand magic, the spells, and the runes? Darling, magic, contrary to how you see your English Wizarding society function, is logical. For instance, there is a class, physics I believe, in the muggle world that works for magic too. You can't destroy things or just vanish them. They either get transformed or they go elsewhere. Granted, sometimes that 'elsewhere' can even be another dimension, you never know with magic, but the principle is the same. It's logical, things have to come from somewhere and then go somewhere else. Even that spell, the Aguamenti, it pulls water from around you, in the air or in the soil. Unless your wand has some, uh, shrunk and bottomless water deposit in there, but you get the idea, don't you?"

"Yes... makes sense", Harry hummed, "Thank you. If I need help, would you...?"

"Of course I would help you", Klaus chuckled, "I love you, Harry, I want you to succeed", he momentarily froze, but Harry hummed and pecked his lips.

"I love you too, Klaus"

Part of him felt weird that he had strong feelings for someone he met few weeks ago. He had never formed such attachment in such a short amount of time, save from... well, Hermione and Ron, and look how that turned out. Draco didn't count, he had offered all the way back in their first year, and here they were five years later. However, he felt as if he had known Klaus for a long time. Perhaps not in an intimate way, but it felt as if they were acquaintances through the years that had come to certain understanding of each other through letters and a few encounters. Though, of course, they had only met each other mere weeks ago.

But he was happy. Klaus had been a gentleman, through and through, even though he did curse like a sailor when he was angry. It had happened on one outing, he was outraged of the treatment a Hippogriff was subjected to under the 'care' of another pureblood family (luckily, not the one Charlie was currently working for). He somehow managed to get the German magical forces to lock them up, and took Deri, the Hippogriff, to his own Manor. Which, for all intents and purposes, was a castle. Harry had loved it when they visited what would most probably become their home.

"Dear?" Klaus interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Atlas has a letter for you", his messenger familiar was glaring at him, so he quickly gave him bacon to not lose his fingers. After eating and being released from his burden, Atlas teasingly messed his hair, and left for his favorite spot in the owlery, "Who is it?"

"Tracy Hatzi"

"The one that married Nikolaos, yes?"

"That same Tracy. Her birthday is coming up, and this is the first year she'll be able to celebrate it as a Lady. School starts next week, and her party is in a month. Would you mind going? It's true enough in Hogwarts we weren't precisely friends, but she's helped to get Angelina and Alicia out of England, along with the Creeveys, and is really supportive. She also befriended Dean's mom and all, to keep an eye on them. She's become a friend... and she's been through a lot. Healers haven't been able to tell if she'll be able to have children, and she really wants to have them. I'm assuming Nikolaos is of the same mentality, even if it's just to keep his wife happy"

"He's completely in love with her. Along with Vova, Pip and Marc, we grew attending pretty much the same events, so we know each other rather well. Both Vova and Nikolaos married through an arranged marriage, true, but rest assured, they fell in love with Millicent and Tracy throughout the summers they spent together. Surprisingly, it's still odd to find pureblood girls that will not jump at the first chance of a convenient marriage. Your two friends, I believe, were reluctant at first, but they always were polite and open to them, giving them the chance to convince them to not seek another prospect"

"It's pretty much obvious they're in love. I mean, Vova did leave the meeting he was in when he felt Lucius and Remus visiting Milli when she was alone. He worries a lot about her. And Nikolaos... I don't think you understand how much it means for Tracy that he loves her so much. In English pureblood families, it's... rare, to find that your parents see you as more than a bargaining chip when it comes to convenient marriages. For the most part, at least from what I gathered through the years, they always had to be composed, they could never break the rules, and Merlin forbid they thought of dating someone, so they were always cold towards everyone, even Draco. Maybe, especially Draco. Sirius... he didn't agree with his family's views, and when he ran away to escape the pressure, his own mother had no hesitation about burning him out of the family tapestry. I imagine... Tracy expected that after suffering the Cruciatus, and not being sure to be able to carry an heir, that Nikolaos would find no... Use for her", Harry finished with something close to nausea, "I know he isn't like that, but it was still a fear she held. She probably grew up among vicious people that rejected someone for less than that"

Klaus nodded his understanding.

"We will go to her party, Harry. Do not worry. I assume your friends are going?"

"Yes, but they will arrive on their own, I think. I also want to spend time alone with you", the younger man quickly added, much to Klaus' amusement.

* * *

The five teens looked at the grand castle before them. They had decided to arrive without Remus, Lucius, Narcissa or even Klaus accompanying them. It was odd, but this felt as a bit more of a step towards a new phase, and they wanted it to be their own, no more coddling. They still had enough pampering at the Manor. In any case, they would write, and they would also most likely send something along the lines of care packages.

A man that seemed to be in his late thirties was there to greet the new additions.

"Ah, fresh young blood", he smiled, "It's been a while since we accepted someone into the school... even longer since our new students were already advanced in their magical education. Let me guess... you must be Mr. Dean Thomas", the dark-skinned teen nodded, "Mr. Blaise Zabini?", the half-Italian teen bowed his head slightly, "Our lovely couple, Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mr. Theodore Nott, right?", both teens acknowledged their names, "That leaves you, Mr. Harrison James Potter-Black?"

"Harry is okay", the youngest of them muttered.

"Wonderful new students, all of you. My name is Aleron Ludovic Buschonner-Stromorth, I'm the Headmaster, Principal, whatever you want to call it. And my husband is the Founder of this lovely institution, but he is currently in Croatia. He will be back tomorrow, though, for the welcoming ceremony"

"Wait, how old is this Academy?" Dean asked, shocked.

"My, my, I believe it was founded about that time Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire. I might be off by a few centuries, though, my dear Cassio is much better at remembering dates. I do remember, though, that we married when Henry VIII was removing the head from that dreadful woman"

"The Spanish?" Dean barely recalled some History from elementary school, so he wasn't sure if he even was saying something stupid.

"No, she was lovely", Aleron corrected, "The Boleyn girl... or, well, both Boleyn girls were dreadful, really. Anyway, let me show you around, okay? I did ask you to be here earlier than usual for you to get to know the main parts. Your classes have yet to be determined, depending on what you tend to favor for your magic, but you still will have core classes, such as History. Not only of Magic, but also muggle. We're experimenting with a new one this year, too. To try and mix technology and magic in certain areas. No use hiding if you're going to stand out for lack of the ever-growing use of technology, huh?"

Aleron took them to the main hall, the dining hall, two different ballrooms, three pitches (though apparently only one was for Quidditch), the kitchens, the classrooms for most of the classes they could have, the library, the infirmary (which seemed more like a little hospital), and, finally, the gardens. Behind the gardens was a forest.

"Now, you can go there, but it's quite huge. We are in the Black Forest, and a lot of magical creatures live in there. None of them are aggressive without provocation, though if you find a Hippogriff and do not bow you will probably not come out unscathed. We recommend that you don't go alone. Always be prepared. If you feel more comfortable or more prepared if you have your wand in any unforeseen situation, then I suggest you also always take your wand. We have a magical entrance that leads straight to Freiburg, mostly for some weekend visits", Aleron finished.

"And, uh, the rooms?"

"Oh, silly me, the rooms!" the Headmaster chuckled, "Truly, I'm a disaster without Cassio. Follow me"

They headed back inside, and they were led to a set of stairs. That seemed electrical.

"This is magic, right?" Dean asked, fascinated.

"Of course. Muggles were quite ingenious with electricity and stairs, but magic is at least as good as that", Aleron smiled proudly, and then took them to what seemed a maze of doors, "We don't divide students by houses, as you told me Hogwarts does. Each room is personalized for the student that will live in it. It's a rather handy spell my husband came up with like fifteen hundred years ago, you know. Your suites are already fixed, and close to each other's, of course. Draco and Theodore... well, we understand you two are courting and all, so my husband and I thought that a joint suite would be nice for you"

"Are you... sure?" Theo asked.

"Why would you ask that? Of course we're both sure! You are not the first courting couple. Probably won't be the last. We wouldn't dream of keeping a couple apart. And you'd probably find ways around rules separating you, so we don't bother, to be honest. Ah, and we do get wizards and witches that have creature blood in them, or are werewolves or vampires. And I want to see you try to get a Veela away from their mates. Nope, I prefer my body in one piece, thank you very much. I must warn you, though, about the banshees. They like to shriek in the middle of the night, thinking it funny. Nothing some spells can't keep at bay, of course, and we're working on sound-proofing their rooms", Aleron assured, "Any questions?"

"How does someone, uh, graduate? How do we get evaluated? What age would you say we will graduate?" Blaise fired question after question, much to Aleron's amusement.

"Well, it can vary from teacher to teacher, but only a little. It's based mostly on the spells you can perform, how you can handle your own magic, how much control you have over it, and, of course, if you surpass your teachers. We haven't changed them in a while, but test them regularly to the international standards and our own standards, which tend to be harsher. Depending on your excellence, you can graduate with a mastery, without the extra work one usually does going out from other schools. You are expected to have a certain pace for your studies, the sooner you better your evaluation results, the sooner you graduate. With young men as powerful as yourselves, perhaps a year at most. You still need some... polishing, for at least four months, though... tends to happen when someone transfers from another type of schooling"

"That sounds... interesting. Even if we could graduate, say, in eight months, and we reached the level required, would we be able to remain for the entire year?"

"Of course, always as students if you so wish. There's always new things to learn, after all. And if you excel at any particular subject, you can also apply to be a teacher. We haven't hired someone new in a while, for around twenty years. Having new people can help us to pay a better individual attention to each student. But that's a talk for another day. Cassio will come back tomorrow, as I said, and he can give you a lot more details... I kind of forget what I ramble about, but his memory is legendary, trust me", Harry smiled at how Aleron's eyes lit up whenever he mentioned Cassio, "Oh, wait, you are courting, too, right?" Aleron seemed to remember, and the youngest of the teenagers nodded with a blush.

"His name is Klaus Neumark", he said.

"Yes, yes, he wrote to us", Aleron grinned, and Harry looked confused. Klaus wrote to them? "Oh, yes, he wrote to us. Asking about some permissions for him to visit you on weekends when you two agreed... of course we said yes! Courting couples need to get to know each other!"

Harry knew this was a good new start.

* * *

Well! That's it. I'm now entertaining the notion of a sequel to this, but I'm not sure I will actually go through with it. I hope you enjoyed this!


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